Risotto giallo alla milanese (saffron risotto)
A creamy rice cooked slowly in broth, colored and perfumed with saffron, bound with butter and grated cheese. The quintessential reception dish of Volta's Lombardy.
A creamy rice cooked slowly in broth, colored and perfumed with saffron, bound with butter and grated cheese. The quintessential reception dish of Volta's Lombardy.
When I received some colleague from Pavia or the Institute, it was golden rice that was brought to table, for our Lombard rice fields are among the finest in Europe. You must add saffron — a precious pinch — which dyes it such a vivid yellow that it seems to glow on its own. Pour the broth ladle by ladle, without haste, stirring always; patience, believe me, is the mother of every good thing, in cooking as in the laboratory. And at the last moment, butter and grated cheese, beaten vigorously to make it creamy.
- •Rice from the Pavia plain — one measure per guest (base)
- •Saffron threads — a precious pinch (color and fragrance (signature))
- •Meat broth — as needed (cooking)
- •Beef marrow and butter — a portion (richness and binder)
- •Onion — one small (base)
- •Grated cow's milk cheese (grana type) — a handful (umami binder)
- •Lombard white wine — a glass (deglazing)
Risotto giallo alla milanese (saffron risotto)
A creamy rice cooked slowly in broth, colored and perfumed with saffron, bound with butter and grated cheese. The quintessential reception dish of Volta's Lombardy.
Why this dish? Volta taught for nearly thirty years at the University of Pavia, in the heart of the Lombard rice plain. Saffron risotto, golden like the sun, was the dish of great occasions for Milanese and Lombard bourgeoisie — the one served when hosting distinguished guests.
When I received some colleague from Pavia or the Institute, it was golden rice that was brought to table, for our Lombard rice fields are among the finest in Europe. You must add saffron — a precious pinch — which dyes it such a vivid yellow that it seems to glow on its own. Pour the broth ladle by ladle, without haste, stirring always; patience, believe me, is the mother of every good thing, in cooking as in the laboratory. And at the last moment, butter and grated cheese, beaten vigorously to make it creamy.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rice from the Pavia plain — one measure per guest (base)
- Saffron threads — a precious pinch (color and fragrance (signature))
- Meat broth — as needed (cooking)
- Beef marrow and butter — a portion (richness and binder)
- Onion — one small (base)
- Grated cow's milk cheese (grana type) — a handful (umami binder)
- Lombard white wine — a glass (deglazing)
Ingredients
- Carnaroli or Arborio rice — 320 g (base)
- Saffron threads — 1 good pinch (about 0.2 g) (color and fragrance (signature))
- Hot beef broth — 1.2 L (cooking)
- Butter — 60 g (30 g for final binding) (richness)
- Chopped onion — 1 small (base)
- Grated Grana Padano or Parmesan — 60 g (umami binder)
- Dry white wine — 100 ml (deglazing)
Method
- Infuse the saffron in a ladle of hot broth.
- Melt 30 g butter, sweat the chopped onion without coloring.
- Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring, then deglaze with white wine.
- Add hot broth ladle by ladle, stirring, waiting for absorption each time (18 to 20 minutes).
- Halfway through cooking, add the saffron broth.
- Off the heat, vigorously beat in the remaining cold butter and grated cheese (mantecatura). Cover for 2 minutes and serve.
How it was made : Saffron risotto is documented in Milan as early as the 16th century; in Volta's time, rice cultivation in lower Lombardy (around Pavia and Lomellina) made it accessible for bourgeois celebrations. Beef marrow, often omitted today, gave the dish its roundness.
The contemporary twist : Shape into a flat crown and place a thin sheet of edible gold leaf in the center: a discreet homage to the copper and zinc discs stacked in the voltaic pile.
Alessandro Volta · Charactorium