Risotto Milanese

I just got back from a short trip to Chicago.  I have been before but had not spent much time in the city.

We were not there for very long, but we made good use of the time we were there.  We went to the Art Institute, the Field Museum, top of the Willis skyscraper, and the zoo.  We also went on architecture tour on the river and a boat ride on Lake Michigan.  We road bikes along the river and explored a couple of neighborhoods.

We ate deep dish pizza, bagel sandwiches, and a donuts.  I also bought some baked goods from a Chinese bakery in Chinatown.  We walked all over that city.

I made this risotto Milanese a few weeks ago with the last few pinches of saffron I bought in Spain.   I found the risotto Milanese recipe on the Food Network website.  I made it as directed.

The ingredients are extra virgin olive oil, 1 large onion, salt, 2 cup arborio rice, 2 large pinches saffron, 3 to 4 cups hot chicken broth, 1 1/2 to 2 cups white wine, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesano-regiano.  This is a pretty rich dish.

I added a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil to the bottom of a hot skillet.  I added the diced onion.  I let this sauté over medium-high heat for five minutes.  I stirred regularly.  

I added the rice and let this cook over medium-high heat for three to four minutes.  

I added the saffron to the hot chicken stock.

I then added the white wine to the rice and onion mixture until the wine just covered the rice.  I added salt and then cooked the rice until the wine had become absorbed.  I stirred continuously.

I then added some chicken stock.  I added enough to just cover the rice.  I stirred continuously over the heat until the rice absorbed the chicken stock.  I repeated this three or four more times.  The rice was cooked and creamy at the end of the process.  

I added grated Parmegiano-Regiano and butter.  I stirred this vigorously for several minutes.  

 This was a very creamy dish.  It was cheesy and buttery.

It was flavorful and rich.  The rice was tender and had absorbed the flavors of the wine, chicken stock, and saffron.

It was very decadent and delicious.  I think that even as a side dish, this rice would be the star of the show.  It takes a little bit of effort to slowly incorporate the liquids into the rice, but it is well worth the effort.  It was very scrumptious and toothsome.