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Per serving
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- 1
Steep the saffron
Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and warm it over medium heat until it's barely simmering — not boiling, never boiling. Ladle out 3/4 cup of that warm broth into a glass measuring cup and drop in your saffron threads. Let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't rush this part. The color, the perfume, the whole point of this dish comes from letting those threads do their work.
- 2
Toast the rice
In a heavy-bottomed pot — a Dutch oven or a deep saucepan — heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat. Add the onion, finely chopped, and cook gently until it softens, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let it brown. Add the arborio rice and stir it in the fat for another 2 to 3 minutes, until each grain looks translucent at the edges. This step matters. Toasting the rice gives the risotto structure so it doesn't turn to mush. Then pour in the white wine and stir until the rice drinks it up completely.
- 3
Add the broth, ladleful by ladleful
Turn the heat down to medium-low. Strain the saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the rice and stir. Once absorbed, start adding the remaining warm broth, 3/4 cup at a time — add a ladleful, stir until absorbed, add another. Keep the pace steady and patient. This is not a dish you walk away from. Taste as you near the last addition: the rice should be al dente, with just a little bite left at the center. Depending on your rice and your stove, you may not need every last drop of broth.
- 4
Finish and serve
Pull the pot off the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and the Parmesan cheese and let the residual heat melt everything together into something silky and golden. Serve immediately — risotto waits for no one. A little extra Parmesan on top never hurt anyone.
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Risotto alla Milanese
Created by: PastaAndProsciutto
Ingredients
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 onion
- 1 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Steep the saffronPour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and warm it over medium heat until it's barely simmering — not boiling, never boiling. Ladle out 3/4 cup of that warm broth into a glass measuring cup and drop in your saffron threads. Let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't rush this part. The color, the perfume, the whole point of this dish comes from letting those threads do their work.
- Toast the riceIn a heavy-bottomed pot — a Dutch oven or a deep saucepan — heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat. Add the onion, finely chopped, and cook gently until it softens, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let it brown. Add the arborio rice and stir it in the fat for another 2 to 3 minutes, until each grain looks translucent at the edges. This step matters. Toasting the rice gives the risotto structure so it doesn't turn to mush. Then pour in the white wine and stir until the rice drinks it up completely.
- Add the broth, ladleful by ladlefulTurn the heat down to medium-low. Strain the saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the rice and stir. Once absorbed, start adding the remaining warm broth, 3/4 cup at a time — add a ladleful, stir until absorbed, add another. Keep the pace steady and patient. This is not a dish you walk away from. Taste as you near the last addition: the rice should be al dente, with just a little bite left at the center. Depending on your rice and your stove, you may not need every last drop of broth.
- Finish and servePull the pot off the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and the Parmesan cheese and let the residual heat melt everything together into something silky and golden. Serve immediately — risotto waits for no one. A little extra Parmesan on top never hurt anyone.