Risotto alla Milanese

The toasted rice, the wine that evaporates quickly, addition of small quantity of stock until the rice is cooked al dente - these are just a few secrets of a well prepared risotto. The basic ones. Then you can use your imagination, add different types of cheese, sausage, mushrooms, crunchy pancetta, spices and herbs to create something new every time, and adapt it easily to your taste.
Another secret for a good risotto, of course, is the choice of rice. Not every rice is the same. Some chefs choose Arborio, others Carnaroli or Vialone nano. All three of them are very resistant in cooking and will stay al dente in the end. Personaly, I like my risotto to be creamy and well mantecated. I've used mostly arborio and carnaroli over the past years but I have started using vialone nano lately with really satisfactory results (like in this recipe for Risotto alla Milanese). At the moment, it's my favourite of the three.
Before moving to Italy I had no idea of how a good risotto should be prepared. My first attempts were not bad but I had a lot to learn. As it often happens, the most simple things depend a lot on the right preparation and combination of ingredients.
And even though a risotto can be considered a quick and simple dish, when you decide to make it, make sure you are there for it and enjoy every moment you dedicate to its preparation. You'll enjoy preparing it as much as you'll enjoy eating it.

Risotto alla Milanese is one of the classics, once you have mastered it, you'll be able to make any risotto with satisfaction.
It is excellent in all its simplicity, full of flavour. I love the flavour of saffron in it, and I absolutely warn you not to choose a cheaper option and substitute it with for example curcuma, it just want be the same. It is not the colour, but the overall taste that distinguishes this risotto from all the others.
When you are ready to take a further step, you may add some porcini mushrooms as well, and take it to the next level indeed.

Risotto alla Milanese
(4 servings)

* 320 g rice for risotto (arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano)
* 1/2 small onion
* 50 g butter
* 1/2 glass dry white wine
* 1 package (0,12 g) powdered saffron
* about 1,2 litre vegetable or meat stock
* 50 g grated parmigiano cheese
* salt

Clean and chop the onion very finely.
Put the chopped onion and 30 g of butter in a casserole and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent making sure it doesn't burn (if it should get dark, add a spoonful or two of hot water).
In the meantime, dry toast the rice in a skillet for a couple minutes stirring it with a wooden spoon.
Add the rice to the casserole with onion and mix well so that the rice is coated with butter evenly.
Pour in the wine and let it evaporate completely on high heat.
Start adding the stock - 2 ladles the first time, and then one ladle at a time, every time the previously added stock has been absorbed. There is no need to stir the rice continuously, but do give it a good stir after each addition of stock. Make sure it's never dry, but don't add too much stock either.
After approximately 2/3 of cooking time (approx. after 10-12 minutes) add the saffron dissolved in a spoonful of hot stock.
Continue cooking the risotto, adding the stock, until the rice is cooked al dente (total time is about 16-18 minutes). Don't let the risotto get too dry after the last addition.
Adjust the flavour adding salt to your taste.
Remove from heat, add the remaining 20 g of butter, the grated parmigiano and give it an energic stir until the cheese and the butter have melted. Cover and let the risotto rest for 2 minutes before serving.

You may serve this risotto alone, as a first dish (primo piatto) srinkled with a few saffron threads and additional parmigiano, or as a side dish with Ossobuco alla Milanese.

Risotto alla milanese
(per 4 persone)

* 320 g riso per risotti (arborio, carnaroli o vialone nano)
* 1/2 cipolla
* 50 g burro
* 1/2 bicchiere di vino bianco secco
* 1 bustina (0,12 g) di zafferano in polvere
* circa 1,2 litri di brodo di verdure o di carne
* 50 g parmigiano grattugiato
* sale

Spellate la cipolla e riducetela a dadini piccolissimi.
Sciogliete 30 g di burro in una casseruola e aggiungete la cipolla. Lasciate stufare per 5 minuti a fuoco bassissimo mescolando ogni tanto con un cucchiaio di legno, finché la cipolla diventi morbida e trasparente. Se dovesse colorirsi aggiungete un paio di cucchiai di brodo caldo.
Tostate il riso in una padella antiaderente, senza aggiungere grassi. Trasferitelo poi nella casseruola e mescolatelo per amalgamarlo bene alla cipolla.
Bagnate con il vino e lasciatelo evaporare a fuoco vivace.
Versate 2 mestoli di brodo bollente sul riso e mescolate.
Proseguite la cottura unendo man mano che si assorbe altro brodo bollente a mestoli mescolando.
A circa 2/3 della cottura (dopo circa 10-12 minuti) aggiungete lo zafferano diluito in un mestolo di brodo.
Continuate la cottura finché il riso è cotto al dente e regolate di sale. Non lasciatelo asciugare troppo dopo l'ultima aggiunta di brodo, lasciatelo a onda.
Spegnete il fuoco, aggiungete il burro rimasto e il parmigiano. Mescolate energicamente e lasciate mantecare coperto per 2 minuti prima di servire.
Guarnite a piacere con stimmi di zafferano e portate in tavola.

Rižoto alla milanese
(za 4 osobe)


* 320 g riže za rižoto (arborio, carnaroli ili vialone nano)
* 1/2 manje glavice crvenog luka
* 50 g maslaca
* 1/2 čaše suhog bijelog vina
* 1 vrećica (0,12 g) šafrana u prahu
* oko 1,2 litre juhe (mesnog ili povrtnog temeljca)
* 50 g naribanog parmezana
* sol


Tradicionalni recept predviđa također upotrebu goveđe koštane srži (oko 20-30 g) koja se usitni i poprži zajedno s maslacem i lukom na početku pripreme.
Ali nije obavezna, ja je nisam koristila.
Očistite i što sitnije nasjeckajte luk.
Stavite ga u posudu u kojoj ćete kuhati rižoto zajedno s 30 g maslaca i pirjajte na laganoj vatri oko 5 minuta da luk omekša i postane staklast, ali da ne potamni. Ako je neophodno (tj. ako vam luk počne tamniti) dodajte žlicu - dvije tople vode ili juhe.
Posebno u neprijanjajućoj tavi tostirajte rižu par minuta, nasuho bez dodavanja masnoće, miješajući drvenom žlicom.
Dodajte rižu omekšalom luku i dobro izmiješajte.
Zalijte vinom i pustite da ispari na jačoj vatri.
Dodajte 2 grabilice temeljca riži, promiješajte i dalje kuhajte dok riža nije kuhana al dente (ako koristite vrste riže navedene u sastojcima to je oko 16-18 minuta).
Dodajite po grabilicu juhe svaki put kad je prethodna skoro sva upijena i promiješajte.
Nije neophodno miješati rižoto neprestano, dovoljno je promiješati ga nakon svakog dodavanja juhe, ali pazite da se ne presuši. Juha mora uvijek biti vruća.
Nakon otprilike 2/3 vremena (znači nekih 10-12 minuta) dodajte šafran koji ste otopili u žlici juhe.
Pred kraj kuhanja posolite po ukusu.
Kad je rižoto kuhan (neka na kraju ne bude ni jako rijedak ni suh, u žargonu se kaže a onda, tj. valovit), maknite ga s vatre, dodajte parmezan i preostalih 20 g maslaca, energično promiješajte da se sir i maslac otope. Poklopite i ostavite rižoto da odmori 1-2 minute, a zatim poslužite.
Po želji ukrasite nitima šafrana.


Ovaj rižete poslužiti sam, kao toplo predjelo, ili kao prilog uz Ossobuco alla milanese.


Odabir riže jako je važan za konačni rezultat. Svaki od poznatih chefova ima svoju omiljenu, bilo da je to arborio, carnaroli ili vialone nano.
Dobar rižoto na kraju pripreme mora imati zrna riže još uvijek lagano al dente (dakle ni slučajno raskuhana), zato su ove tri vrste riže najpogodnije.
Ako volite kremastije rižote onda odaberite vrste bogatije škrobom kao arborio, ili još bolje vialone nano (koju sam ja koristila za ovaj rižoto)