← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 1.3 l chicken or beef stock, kept hot
• ½ tsp saffron threads (a generous pinch)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 70 g butter, divided, the finishing part cold
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 320 g carnaroli or arborio rice
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 70 g Parmesan, finely grated
• Salt

Method

1. Keep the stock just simmering in a pan. Soak the saffron in a ladle of the hot stock in a cup.
2. Heat the oil and 20 g of the butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion for 5–6 min until soft and translucent, not brown.
3. Add the rice and stir for 2 min until the grains are hot and slightly see-through at the edges. Pour in the wine and stir until it has been absorbed.
4. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is almost absorbed before adding the next. Keep it at a lively simmer.
5. After about 10 min, stir in the saffron and its liquid. Carry on adding stock for another 6–8 min, until the rice is creamy and tender with a slight bite in the middle.
6. Take the pan off the heat, add the cold butter and parmesan and beat hard with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until glossy. Cover and rest for 2 min, then serve on warm plates; it should flow gently like a wave.

Tips

• Use vegetable stock and a vegetarian hard cheese to make it vegetarian.
• Check that your stock is gluten-free; some cubes contain wheat.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Marcellina in Cucina GialloZafferano Pasta Grammar