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Saffron Risotto (Risotto Allo Zafferano) is a Lombard recipe, much appreciated in the North of Italy for its wonderful delicate flavour and also because is one of the simplest risotto recipes to make. This amazing risotto is usually served on its own, without meat or fish and it has a lovely saffron flavour, well complemented with the Parmesan cheese, which is added at the final stage of the recipe, like in most Italian risotto dishes.

Saffron Risotto is often confused with Milanese Risotto (Risotto alla Milanese), another renowned Lombard recipe; in both these risottos we use saffron as a main ingredient but there are some differences in the ingredients.

Tips.

1. It is very important to only use good quality products, in order to make a delicious risotto.

2. Also see How To Make A Perfect Risotto

Saffron Risotto (Risotto allo Zafferano)

Medium difficulty

Preparation time: 5 minutes (not considering the broth)

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

For 4 servings

350 g (12.3 oz) Carnaroli rice or Arborio rice

a pinch of saffron (enough to colour the rice of a bright yellow)

1 large onion, very finely chopped

1 glass of good white wine (not acidic, this is very important!)

150 g (5.3 oz) freshly grated Grana Padano cheese

125 g (4.4 oz) good quality fresh butter

1 litre (33, 8 fl oz us) hot vegetable broth (see below)

For vegetable broth

1 large carrot

1 large onion

1 celery stalk (also use the leaves, if you have them)

salt and pepper to taste

Method.

1. In a large pan, prepare the vegetable broth. Wash, clean and roughly chop the vegetables, then fill the pan with plenty of water and cook the vegetables until tender. Season with some fine sea salt (do not exceed), then sift the broth and remove the vegetables.

2. Sauté the onion in 80 g of butter, over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Add the rice and fry for a few minutes over a medium heat, then pour in a glass of white wine and stir. Shimmer until all the wine evaporates.

4. Lower the heat and add the hot broth (a little at a time), stirring constantly. Let the broth evaporate and continue adding the broth and stirring, until the rice is creamy and properly cooked. During the cooking time add the saffron (diluted in a little bit of warm vegetable broth).

5. Turn off the heat and add the finals ingredients to the risotto. Add the rest of the butter, 3-4 tablespoons of grated Grana Padano and season with salt and pepper ( taste it and season only if needed), then stir and cover with a lid. Let the risotto rest for a few minutes and serve.

Home-made (steamed) vegetable stock.

This stock-like sauce is prepared by gently steaming vegetables, using ingredients naturally rich in flavour like wine, sesame seeds and fresh herbs. It ‘s a great alternative to commercial vegetable stocks (or vegetable broth) and a little bit healthier than homemade ones. This fragrant, rich-in-nutrients sauce will blend in nicely with most of your dishes, improving every recipe ( I use it with roast meat, stews, sauces or soups). As a homemade product, made only with fresh vegetables and no artificial preservatives, this stock should be kept well sealed in the fridge and used up within a few days, while in the freezer will keep well for several months. This recipe is high in salt, a natural preservative, therefore should be used in moderation.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil (1 of which is to be added at the end)

1 kg ( 2 lb) fresh vegetables:

1 medium tomato

3-4 stalks of celery

2-3 carrots

a medium potato

1 red bell pepper (optional)

2 medium onions

2 cloves of garlic

A bunch of herbs to taste (I used parsley, marjoram and some oregano and rosemary)

150 ml (5 fl oz) white wine or Marsala wine

150 ml (5 fl oz) water

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (finely ground)

Fry the onions and garlic with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the onions are golden brown, pour the wine into a pan and let it cook at a low heat to make a sauce.

In the meantime, wash and cut the vegetables into chunks, and put them in a steamer basket.

Put the basket on top of the pan, cover with a lid and cook with the steam of the wine sauce for 20-30 minutes. Half way through the cooking time (after 10-15 minutes), pour the water into the wine sauce, then cover and continue cooking.

When the vegetables are almost ready, add the herbs ( finely chopped) to the sauce.

Put the vegetables back on top of the pan and continue to simmer until they are tender.

Turn off the heat, pour the vegetable into the wine sauce and, using an immersion blender, blend everything together.

Finely grind the sesame seeds with a food processor. Add the seeds, a tablespoon of salt and one of olive oil to the vegetables stock. Mix well.

Pour the stock into small jars (previously sterilized with boiling water or alcohol at 90 °), seal and store in the fridge and/or in the freezer.

Dado di verdure (cotte a vapore) fatto in casa

Questo condimento si prepara facendo cuocere delicatamente le verdure al vapore, utilizzando ingredienti naturalmente aromatizzanti come il vino,i semi di sesamo e le erbe fresche profumate. E’ un’ottima alternativa al brodo fatto in casa o al classico dado del supermercato. Il risultato sarà una pasta profumatissima e ricca di sostanze nutritive che arricchirà ogni piatto, senza appesantirlo. Questa salsa, o dado, si può utilizzare per fare un brodo vegetale leggero, oppure ci si possono condire e insaporire svariate pietanze, come arrosti o sughi di vario genere. Essendo un prodotto preparato con ingredienti freschi e senza conservanti artificiali, se tenuto in frigorifero è consigliabile utilizzarlo entro pochi giorni, mentre nel freezer si manterrà benissimo per diversi mesi. Il sale contenuto nella ricetta ne aiuta la conservazione, ma ovviamente bisogna moderarne le quantità nella preparazione delle vostre ricette.

Ingredienti

4 cucchiai d’olio di oliva (di cui 1 va aggiunto a cottura avanzata)

1 kg di verdure fresche:

1 pomodoro medio piccolo

qualche gambo di sedano

2-3 carote

una patata medio piccola

1 peperone rosso (facoltativo)

Un mazzetto di erbe aromatiche a piacere ( ho messo prezzemolo, maggiorata e in minore quantità origano e rosmarino)

2 cipolle

2 spicchi d’aglio

150 ml di vino bianco o di Marsala

150 ml d’acqua

1 cucchiaio abbondante di sale

2 cucchiai di semi di sesamo (macinati finemente)

Fate rosolare il soffritto di cipolle e aglio con 3 cucchiai di olio d’oliva. Quando le cipolle saranno ben dorate allungate con un po’ di vino. Nel frattempo, lavate le verdure, tagliatele e mettetele nel cestello per la cottura a vapore. Riponete il cestello sopra la pentola del soffritto, chiudete con il coperchio e lasciate cuocere per 20-30 minuti con il vapore del vino.

A metà cottura (dopo 10-15 minuti) allungate il vino con 150 ml d’acqua, coprite la pentola e continuate a cuocere. Quasi a termine cottura, aggiungete le erbe aromatiche (tritate e pulite) al vino e lasciate insaporire a fuoco molto basso. Spegnete la fiamma quando tutte le verdure saranno morbide, poi unitele alla salsa di vino e frullate il tutto con un frullatore ad immersione, fino a creare una crema densa. Nel caso il risultato fosse troppo liquido, fatelo un po’ ritirare a fuoco lento.

A questo punto, tritate i semi di sesamo finemente e aggiungeteli con un cucchiaio di sale (fino) alla nostro dado di verdura. Inumidite con un cucchiaio di olio crudo e mescolate bene tutto.Mettete il dado in diversi vasetti di vetro (precedentemente sterilizzati con acqua bollente o alcool a 90°) e riponeteli nel frigorifero e nel freezer.