Risotto Milanese

Risotto alla Milanese

Today, we will try one of the oldest recipes found in Italy, a dish found in every restaurant with some dignity in Milan, Risotto alla Milanese. In the 14^th century, rice was slowly making it’s way up the Po valley, becoming a dish even for nobles. Early fourteenth-century cookbooks are starting to suggest dishes where rice plays a major role.

The progenitor of risotto alla Milanese is described by Bartolomeo Scappi “dish of rice to Lombardia”, consisted of boiled rice and dressed in layers with cheese, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, brain (typical Milanese salami tinted yellow from saffron) and breast of capon.
You must wait until the end of 1700 before ‘the rice Milanese, as we know ittoday takes shape. The anonymous author of “Oniatologia” (food science) titles on a recipe to make rice soup alla Milanese, where rice, boiled in salted water, to which is added a piece of butter when it boils, and “spiced with cinnamon, grated parmesan and six yolks of eggs, to make him get a nice yellow color.”.

The recipe finally set in the early 1800, in the book “Modern Cook”, printed in Milan in 1809, by a mysterious LOG. His recipe: “yellow rice casserole.” Cook the rice in a fried previously skipped butter, brain, marrow, onion, gradually adding hot broth in which it was dissolved saffron.
In early 900 also appears wine: Famous, Artusi, the man who set the standrads for the Italian kitchen, provides two recipes Risotto alla Milanese, the first without wine,bone and beef fat, the second with white wine, serving with its acidity to the palate by scouring ‘unctuous marrow and fat of beef.

The recipe for Risotto alla Milanese
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 400 g of rice
- 1 quart of beef stock
- 1 / 2 cup dry white wine
- 40 g butter
- 40 g of beef bone marrow
- 60 g Grana Padano cheese 24 months
- 30 g onion
- 0.5 g of saffron pistils

Preparation:

Fry the onion in half the butter together with the bone marrow, add rice and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently but often, then add the white wine and let it evaporate.

Then add 3 ladles of hot broth, stir gently and do not touch until the next addition of broth.

Risotto alla Milanese

Halfway through cooking add the saffron dissolved in a spoonful of hot soup. Turn off the heat when the rice is still “al dente” and still fairly liquid, add the rest of the butter and the Parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously (whisk) for 20-30 seconds, and the risotto to rest for only 1 minute before serve.