Saffron Risotto

Risotto is something that seems very luxurious. It is often served in high end restaurants and seems unattainable for the home chef.

Thankfully, that is a great misconception. You can make risotto at home and enjoy the luxury!

The most important thing about making risotto is using the right rice Yes, the recipe calls for just rice. In reality, you really need to use arborio rice to make a real risotto.

Using the clarified butter gives the dish the butter taste without the butter greasiness.

The other thing you really need to do is heat the stock and keep it hot. I placed the stock in a pot on medium high heat and positioned it directly behind the skillet I was making the rice in. This helped with spills as the pans were basically touching.

The rice is labor intensive. You really can’t walk away in the 15 to 20 minutes it takes to make the dish. I know the recipe says it will take 10 to 15 minutes, but it was longer to get the right consistency to the rice.

Risotto is served a little al dente for sure. You want to make sure that the rice is just tender enough.

Adding the melted butter and parmesan at the end gives you a final result that is rich and buttery and delicious! It is well worth the effort!

ITALIAN RICE

1/4 Cup Clarified Butter

1 Onion, Minced

2 Cups Rice

8 to 10 Cups Hots Stock

1/2 Cup White Wine

Pinch Saffron

1/2 Teaspoon Fennel

Salt and Pepper To Taste

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

1 Cup Grated Parmesan

Saute onion in clarified butter. Add rice and wine and stir until butter is absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock. Stir until stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time until rice is soft. Add saffron and fennel. This process should take 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste. Pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with parmesan.