The dish to eat in Milan · Italy

Risotto alla milanese

Name: Risotto alla milanese (saffron risotto)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 6 cups (1.4 L) good beef or chicken stock, kept at a simmer; A generous pinch (about 0.3 g) saffron threads, or 2 sachets saffron powder; 4 tbsp (60 g) butter, divided; 1 oz (30 g) beef bone marrow, chopped (optional, traditional); 1 small onion, very finely chopped; 1 1/2 cups (300 g) Carnaroli or Arborio rice; 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine; 3/4 cup (60 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano; Salt

Photo: Number55, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Saffron risotto, golden yellow and creamy, finished with butter and Parmigiano; often served with osso buco.

Legend says a glassworker on the Duomo used saffron to color the windows and his rice in 1574. Milan's risotto is golden, rich with beef marrow and butter, and spread thin on the plate so it cools as you eat it.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Milan

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco
Viale Umbria, Porta Romana
Order: Risotto alla milanese with osso buco
A family trattoria since 1921 serving Milanese classics.
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Ratanà
Via Gaetano de Castillia, Isola
Order: Risotto alla milanese with roasted marrow bone
Chef Cesare Battisti's modern Milanese cooking in an old railway building.
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Trattoria Milanese
Via Santa Marta, Centro
Order: Risotto giallo and the cotoletta
An old trattoria in the center since 1933, devoted to Milan's own dishes.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best risotto alla milanese in Milan, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Risotto alla milanese (saffron risotto)

Serves 4Time 45 min

Toast the rice, add wine, then hot stock a ladle at a time while stirring, with saffron added halfway. Finish off the heat with cold butter and Parmigiano (the mantecatura) until it's creamy and flows.

Pans and tools

Wide heavy saucepan
Second pot for the stock
Ladle and wooden spoon

You’ll need

6 cups (1.4 L) good beef or chicken stock, kept at a simmer
A generous pinch (about 0.3 g) saffron threads, or 2 sachets saffron powder
4 tbsp (60 g) butter, divided
1 oz (30 g) beef bone marrow, chopped (optional, traditional)
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (300 g) Carnaroli or Arborio rice
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
3/4 cup (60 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt

Steps

Soak the saffron threads in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the hot stock.
Melt 2 tbsp butter with the marrow in a wide heavy saucepan over medium-low. Cook the onion 6 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent, not brown.
Add the rice and stir 2 to 3 minutes until the grains are hot and look glassy at the edges.
Pour in the wine and stir until it's absorbed.
Add a ladle of hot stock and stir until almost absorbed. Keep adding stock a ladle at a time, stirring often, keeping it at a gentle bubble.
After about 10 minutes, stir in the saffron with its liquid.
Keep going 6 to 8 minutes more, until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the risotto is loose. It should take 17 to 18 minutes in all.
Take the pan off the heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp cold butter, cut in cubes, and the Parmigiano. Beat hard with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until creamy. Season with salt.
Rest 1 minute, then spread on warm plates. It should flow slowly like a wave (all'onda).

Chef’s tips

Keep the stock hot; cold stock stops the cooking.

Saffron threads give better color and flavor than powder, but either works.

Leftovers become arancini or a crisp risotto al salto (fried in butter).

Contains: Milk; may contain sulphites (wine) and celery (stock).

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