Risotto Milanese

Behold my Easter dinner. It's a risotto milanese, a risotto with saffron. Gorgeously golden, and deliciously aromatic, it's actually the first time I've made one. Why? No idea. It's so very tasty. And saffron, even though it *is* very expensive, isn't all that elusive. (And no, you don't need the finest stuff for this dish - a cheaper one will work very well.)

I served it with a Green Butter Lemon Chicken, that I'll tell you all about in a few days!

Risotto Milanese
serves 4

2 small yellow onions, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
pat of butter
splash of olive oil
1/2 g of saffron (one sachet)
400 ml arborio rice (about 330 g)
250 ml white wine
approx. 1,2 liters of vegetable stock
two small handfuls of freshly grated parmesan
1 tbsp runny honey

Heat the vegetable stock. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil, and gently fry the garlic and the onions. Add the rice, and stir on high heat until rice turns slightly golden. Add the wine, and let it cook in. Add the saffron. Start adding stock - one ladlefull at a time - stirring all the time. When the risotto looks dry, add more stock. Keep tasting - it'll take about 20 minutes in total. You might not use all the stock, and you might need more (just use hot water).

When done, stir in the honey and the parmesan, and add seasoning to taste if you want to.

And, to make this appropriate for Barbara's new challenge "The Spice is Right!", I'm reminding you that saffron is indeed an ancient spice. I won't bother with details, but head over to Wikipedia to learn more! In Sweden, it's mostly used at christmas time, and especially in saffron buns - soft yeasted buns with a strong saffron flavor. Deee-lish. But very christmassy - this risotto can be enjoyed all year round.

Edit: I better add that honey and garlic are not usually included in a risotto milanese. Just so you know. But in my opinion, it sure makes it a lot tastier.

Risotto Milanese