Risotto alla Milanese

from ButterYum

makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups low or no-sodium chicken stock (try my homemade)

  • 1/2 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 cup finely minced onion (yellow or white)

  • 1 cup arborio rice

  • 1/2 cup white wine (or additional chicken stock)

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (use the good stuff)

  • salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  • In a small saucepan, simmer the chicken stock and saffron together; keep warm until needed.

  • In a 3 1/2-quart or larger dutch oven, saute onions and olive oil together with a pinch of salt and pepper until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes; add the arborio rice and stir to combine.

  • Add white wine and stir until absorbed, then add 1 ladle of the saffron-infused chicken stock and stir until absorbed. Continue adding the stock, one ladle at a time, stirring until it’s mostly absorbed before adding more. This will take about 20 minutes or so.

  • When the rice is almost completely cooked, stir in the butter until melted, then stir in the grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

  • Carefully taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

NOTES

  • Use caution when adding salt while cooking this recipe. Parmigiano-reggiano is very salty so that’s why I specify low or no-sodium chicken stock and unsalted butter. Better to be careful - you can always add salt, after you stir in the cheese, if needed.

  • The flavor of this risotto relies heavily on the quality of saffron and parmigiano-reggiano used. The creamy texture of this risotto relies heavily on using arborio rice. It pays to get the best quality you can.

adapted from Laura in the Kitchen