Yellow risotto

YELLOW RISOTTO
(4 servings / 20 minutes)

Utensils
Casserole
Wooden spoon

Ingredients
400 g of Carnaroli rice
1 litre and half of bouillon
1 white onion
60  g of butter
1 glass of red wine
1 saffron sachet
grated Grana Padano cheese
salt

Preparation
• Sauté the finely chopped onion in 20 g of butter and let it cook for a few minutes on a moderate flame.
• Pour the rice, make it toast and slash with white wine.
• Raise the flame and cook, adding the broth little by little. 
• A few minutes before dousing, add the saffron  melted in the some broth and mix it well with the rice.        
• Remove from the flame, adding the remaining butter and the cheese.
• Let it cream for a few minutes.

Presentation
Serve it on a warm dish

Kids partecipation
The young cooks could help you weighting the rice with their small hands (remember to give always a handful of it to the pot!).  A suggestion:  be ready about the origin of saffron, for sure you will be asked regarding this precious and coloured spice.

Comments
In 1574, while Milan Dome was under construction,  a young glazier who normally used saffron for colouring in gold the stained glass window of the church, for fun, poured it into the risotto served at the wedding feast of master glazier’s daughter.
The new taste was very appreciated by the married couple, furthermore rice grains turned into golden grains,  absolutely astonishing the invited people. From that day on everybody started to cook the yellow risotto, called then “Milanese” risotto.

Nutritional and cultural curiosities
Risotto, besides being an excellent food and a delicacy, is a festive and solemn dish, suitable for important occasions. Its need of being instantly cooked, gives it an exclusive tone.

Useful tips
Rice is light and nourishing and can be used from starter to dessert, but it is important to choose the right rice for each recipe: round grain for soups, desserts, and croquets; medium grain, with its cooking firmness, is perfect for salads and main course; long grain is the chiefs’ favourite one because it has a good absorption capability is appropriate for preparing refined risotto; long grain is suitable for preparing excellent side dishes. Brown rice has a greater fibre content and higher nutritive values.