Traditional risotto alla milanese: the golden saffron risotto of Milan

Milanese legend says the yellow risotto was born in 1574, at a wedding: a glazier's apprentice working on the stained glass of the Duomo, who used saffron to tint the glass, put a pinch into the wedding rice as a joke. The guests loved it, and Milan gained the dish that defines it.

True or not, saffron risotto is the recipe that teaches what a risotto is: round-grain rice toasted in butter, hot broth added little by little, constant stirring to release the starch and, at the end, the mantecatura, the gesture of beating in cold butter and parmesan off the heat to create the cream. No heavy cream.

Veal marrow in the base is the oldest and tastiest version; without it, butter alone does the job. Serve it as is or alongside ossobuco, the classic marriage of the Milanese table.

Recipe card

• Origin: Milan, Lombardy, Italy
• Category: Main course or primo piatto
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 320 g carnaroli rice (or arborio)
• 1.2 liters beef or vegetable stock, very hot
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 80 g butter (30 g for sautéing, 50 g cold for finishing)
• 30 g veal marrow (optional)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 generous pinch of saffron threads (about 0.3 g) or 2 sachets of powdered saffron
• 80 g freshly grated parmesan
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Soak the saffron threads in half a ladle of hot stock for 15 minutes to release color and aroma.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt 30 g of butter with the marrow and sauté the onion over low heat for 5 minutes, until translucent, without browning.
3. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains are hot and glossy.
4. Pour in the wine and stir until it evaporates completely.
5. Add a ladle of hot stock and stir until almost dry. Repeat, ladle by ladle, stirring often, for about 16 minutes.
6. With 3 minutes left, add the saffron with the stock it soaked in and mix well.
7. When the rice is al dente and the whole thing creamy, turn off the heat.
8. Add the cold butter in cubes and the parmesan and beat vigorously with the spoon for 1 minute, shaking the pan, until it becomes a glossy cream.
9. Adjust salt and pepper, cover for 1 minute and serve on flat plates, tapping the bottom of the plate so the risotto spreads.

Tips and variations

• The stock must always be simmering alongside: cold stock interrupts the cooking and the rice stays hard inside.
• A finished risotto moves: when you tilt the plate it should flow slowly (all'onda).
• Do not rinse the rice: the starch is what makes the cream.
• Powdered saffron is more practical, but the threads give a nobler color and perfume.
• Leftovers become riso al salto the next day: a thin layer browned in a skillet until it forms a crust.
• With ossobuco, serve the risotto as the base and the meat's sauce on top.
• Without marrow, use a little more butter; never olive oil, which changes the character of the dish.

A well-made Milanese risotto is a lesson in patience: half an hour standing, stirring, for a dish that looks simple and is one of the glories of Italian cooking.