Risotto, saffron

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup White wine
½ teaspoon Saffron threads
3 tablespoons Butter
2 Whole shallots; minced
Salt; to taste
1½ cup Arborio rice

Directions

Heat the stock in a medium pot and keep it barely at a simmer. Mix ½ cup of the hot stock with the saffron; stir and set aside.

In large skillet or soup pot, combine 2 Tbs butter, shallots, and salt over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are translucent and soft.

Do not brown. Add rice and stir until well coated and semi translucent, 1-2 minutes.

Add a ladleful of stock to the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, a few minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed. Continue this process, always stirring and keeping the heat at a gentle simmer, until the rice is al dente--tender but with a firm core. (As far as I know, the only way to judge is to taste. Start checking after approximately 4 cups of stock have been absorbed.) Add the saffron stock last. The risotto will have a wonderful creamy consistency.

Stir in the remaining Tbs of butter and the Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

We served this with roasted vegetables, and I HIGHLY recommend roasting a couple of sliced red peppers and quartered small red onions as this cooks.

The color and flavor combination is absolutely incredible. A simple green salad and good crusty French bread fill this out into a really memorable meal.

NOTES : This is an absolutely beautiful, sunny yellow rice dish adapted slightly from Patricia Wells' "Trattoria". The taste is subtle, complex, and delicious. Though simple, it is time-consuming, as it must be stirred constantly for at least 20 minutes. I suggest doing what I did last night--have an informal dinner party and allow the guests to help stir as you stand in the kitchen and chat! This way no one's arm falls off and everyone feels accomplished when the steaming platter comes to the table.

Recipe by: TRATTORIA by Patricia Wells Posted to TNT - Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by Sharon <jouet@...> on Jul 17, 1997

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