How Saffron Risotto Is Made in Italy | DW Food

Feb 10, 2024 | Risotto is a simple dish with just a few ingredients, and yet many people fail at making it.

The perfect risotto can only be achieved with a lot of patience and instinct. Head chef Elvis Dollenga from the Milanese restaurant Risoelatte shows you all the tricks on how to prepare Risotto alla Milanese perfectly and how to achieve that special, creamy consistency.

The special thing about Risotto alla Milanese: the saffron gives it its yellow hue. In the 16th century, one of the apprentices working on the stained-glass windows of Milan Cathedral is said to have added saffron to the white rice to give it its special color. Today, Risotto alla Milanese is a classic of Italian cuisine.

Italy is still the largest rice exporter in Europe. The rice is grown in the Po Valley, which is also known as the rice bowl of Europe. So it's no wonder that the traditional Milanese dish is risotto. You need risotto rice (only this releases the starch during cooking and constant stirring to create the special creaminess), freshly cooked beef stock made from bones and vegetables, white wine, Parmesan and butter. And of course: saffron.

CREDITS:

Report: Andrea Horakh
Camera: Domenico Cannata
Edit: Monika Wenczel
Supervising Editors: Ruben Kalus

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Carlo Cracco is one of the most renowned and beloved Italian chefs. Brought up in Gualtiero Marchesi's "golden brigade", together with other great professionals, after travelling Italy and the whole world he's now based in the city of Milan. We visited him in his one-Michelin star restaurant to discover the recipe for the traditional risotto with saffron, "alla Milanese". Enjoy! | Sponsor Riserva San Massimo | Views on YouTube: 1,982,416 v

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