Risotto alla Milanese means ‘rice made in the style of the city of Milan’. Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish whose popularity is not confined to Italy only.
Risotto alla Milanese is bright yellow in colour from the saffron, a spice that in Italian cuisine is often very popular. This creamy risotto is one of the most traditional dishes of the city of Milan and a representative dish too. Like other authentic Italian-style risottos, this one is cooked the slow and painful way, but oh so worth it. Risotto rice does not have a flavour of its own, so the stock plays an important role. The stock must be flavourful, and the acid balance is also important hence I always use a dash of white wine.
The best risotto I had was in Milan, in a restaurant in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. While we were in Milan, we had at least one of our daily meals at this restaurant and always enjoyed a different variety of Risotto. Their Milanese and Fungi risotto were the best! That is when I fell in love with Risotto!
Risotto cooking is not for everyone as it needs bundles of love, patience, and energy. Risotto has a reputation for being one of the harder-to-master Italian dishes. Overcook the rice, you quickly ruin it. Over stir, and you lose the creamy, rich texture risotto is renowned for. It is hard enough to cook rice, let alone perfect a one-pot wonder like risotto where just the right amount of creaminess is key to getting the rice to melt in your mouth like butter instead of melding into an oatmeal mush. I have had my share of failures but now I have a fool proof recipe for creamy luscious risotto. I would highly recommend reading the ‘Tips and Variations’ section if you are a risotto novice.
Risotto alla Milanese is creamy and just simply delicious with hints of saffron and parmesan. This dish is completely and utterly mouth-wateringly delicious!
