HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RISOTTO alla MILANESE For Beginners
One of the dishes that you absolutely must try when going to Italy together with pizza and lasagne alla Bolognese is certainly Risotto alla Milanese. A creamy and comforting first course, Risotto is a great option when you need something wholesome and tasty. The Italian yellow risotto, also called this because of the characteristic yellow color it takes from saffron, is one of the specialties of the cuisine of Northern Italy and in particular of Milan from which it takes its name.
Making Italian risotto Milanese is not difficult but it requires time and attention, but it is worth it. So if you feel like preparing the classic Italian risotto alla Milanese in the traditional Italian way and are looking for a simple and easy to follow recipe to base yourself on, you’re in the right place.
Milanese risotto is prepared with saffron and has a characteristic taste and color that distinguish it.
Things you absolutely need to keep in mind before cooking risotto: the main thing is not to wash the rice first. The natural starch in the rice grains is what helps it absorb the broth and become rich and creamy.
When you add the broth it must always be hot.
Whatever type of risotto you decide to prepare you will have to adapt the recipe to the cooking time of the ingredients you add. So, for example, if you prepare a risotto with prawns you have to add the prawns in the last minutes of cooking, whereas to prepare a risotto with peppers you have to add this vegetable from the beginning.
And finally the most important tip: risotto requires a certain amount of time and patience to prepare and also attention. So during preparation don’t get distracted but give it all your attention, you’ll see that it’s worth it
Ingredients
Ingredients for the vegetable broth
Ingredients for the risotto
- Power 460,01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 69,64 (g) of which sugars 2,73 (g)
- Proteins 9,70 (g)
- Fat 12,21 (g) of which saturated 6,53 (g)of which unsaturated 3,56 (g)
- Fibers 2,29 (g)
- Sodium 292,47 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE BROTH
Place about 2 liters of water in a pan together with the celery, carrot, onion and aromatic herbs and cook for about 30 minutes after boiling. Turn off and keep warm.
PREPARATION OF RISOTTO
In another pan, melt a knob of butter together with a drizzle of oil and fry half a finely chopped onion. As soon as it has browned, add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes, stirring it. Blend with white wine until the alcoholic part has evaporated, add the saffron sachet or the saffron pistils dissolved in a spoonful of hot water.
COOKING RISOTTO
Start cooking the rice by adding a ladle of broth over medium heat, stirring continuously and adding one ladle of broth at a time (only when the previous ladle has been absorbed). Bring the risotto to cooking, it will take about 20 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, add a knob of butter, the grated cheese and stir vigorously. Let the rice rest in the pan for a couple of minutes before serving. Plate and taste it!!
ADVICE
If you use powdered saffron instead of pistils you can follow the same cooking methods, only reducing the infusion time.
Adding salt may not be necessary if the broth is already quite savory, so always taste before adding salt!
If you prefer, you can cook the rice with boiling salted water instead of broth, but the latter gives the dish a more complex and balanced flavour.
After serving the saffron risotto, gently tap your hand on the bottom of the plate: if the risotto expands, it means that the consistency is perfect!
STORAGE
It is advisable to consume the Milanese risotto as soon as it is ready. If necessary, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, taking care to heat it by adding a little broth.
THE HISTORY OF RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
The history of Risotto alla Milanese. Its birth is linked to a popular legend. It is said that a worker tasked with completing the windows of the famous Milan Cathedral used a range of beautiful colors. His owner, however, did not appreciate his work and attributed the bright colors to the aromatic saffron.
So the frustrated boy decided, out of spite, to pour saffron into the rice served during his master’s wedding banquet. Instead of ruining the dish, it achieved the opposite effect and all the wedding participants considered the dish delicious and thus the Milanese risotto was born.
The true origins of risotto date back to the 15th century in Lombardy, when portions of land were reclaimed to make room for rice fields. Once rice became popular, different ways of preparing it began to spread.
The official Risotto recipe has been attributed to the famous Italian chef Giovanni Felice who nicknamed Milanese Risotto: Yellow Risotto. The original recipe is not very different from the one we know today: a dish based on rice, broth, saffron, butter and grated cheese.
Varied doses for servings