Saffron risotto is a traditional Italian side dish made with Arborio rice, saffron, and various vegetables. Saffron is an expensive spice that gives the dish its bright yellow color and honey-like flavor. Proper preparation involves slowly cooking the rice in broth and constantly stirring to release the starch for a creamy texture. The dish is often served with osso bucco and can be pre-prepared up to three days in advance.
Risotto alla Milanese, or saffron risotto, is an Italian side dish made with Arborio rice, which becomes sticky and creamy when cooked. It is traditionally served together with osso bucco. The addition of saffron, an expensive spice made from the stigmas of crocus flowers, gives the dish a bright yellow color. Any type of vegetable goes well with risotto, and many recipes call for mushrooms. When cooking saffron risotto, it’s important to keep stirring so that the creamy starch in the rice can separate from the grain.
Saffron is the most expensive spice due to its scarcity. The stigmas of a particular crocus flower are picked by hand and sold whole or in powder form. There are only three stigmas in each flower, and one ounce (28.35 grams) of saffron requires approximately 14,000 stigmas. The spice has a strong flavor described as honey-like or earthy, with a subtle bitter undertone that can overwhelm a dish if used too much. A pinch is more than enough for most recipes.
The red stigmas of the saffron spread a beautiful golden yellow color, a desired quality that enhances the saffron risotto. The rice takes on this pleasant hue, making the dish attractive to look at as well as tasty. Arborio rice has a shorter grain than other types and contains a high concentration of starch, which gives it a characteristic creamy texture when cooked. Peas, mushrooms and legumes are often added to risotto, as are seafood.
Proper risotto preparation begins with cooking onions in fat, then coating the rice without browning it, called “toasting.” Spices for saffron risotto and wine would be added at this stage if it is one of the ingredients. The rice is then slowly cooked in one ladleful of broth at a time, waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more. It must be stirred constantly to release the starch into the liquid, giving it its characteristic creamy texture. Parmesan cheese is often added at the end, along with butter, and the rice is ready when it’s tender but al dente or firm to the teeth.
A good saffron risotto, like any risotto, cannot be rushed. Since it can take at least 25 minutes to prepare, restaurants often prepare it until the rice starts to soften, then chill it in the refrigerator until an order is placed. Then the chef will complete the risotto to order using some of the leftover broth that has been withheld. Risotto can be pre-prepared using this technique up to three days in advance, but tastes best when freshly prepared.
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