Risotto Milanese

I had not made risotto until a few years ago because I thought it was complicated. Nothing could be further form the truth. The difficulty with it is that it requires regular attention - it isn't like some dishes where you can dump everything in a pot and ignore it for a few hours. If I am serving it as a side dish I make sure that everything else is close to being done and then I make the risotto.

This is a saffron risotto which goes very well with Osso Buco, which is exactly what we served it with. It was great. the recipe was originally out of Gourmet magazine but we tweaked it a bit.

3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 small onion
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads

In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.

Add the saffron to the white wine and heat (we just nuked it for a minute in the microwave - this releases the colour and flavour from the saffron).

Finely chop onion and in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan cook in 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add rice, stirring to coat with butter. Add the wine and saffron mixture, stirring constantly and keeping at a simmer, until absorbed. Continue cooking at a simmer and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes total. (There may be broth mixture left over.) Stir in Parmesan, remaining tablespoon butter, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over low heat until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Here Paul is cooking the risotto. Notice he is wearing the apon we got when we took our cooking class with Judy in Florence! if you're in Italy and you love to cook then you should NOT miss this class!