Hi everyone. Today is my second Savory Saturday recipe posting. I made this dish this past week for Jason and I. It was so delicious and the saffron really gives it a distinct flavor.
Here are a couple facts on saffron: It is a red-orange color flavoring dye made from dried stigmas of a crocus. It takes about 13,000 stigmas about 4,330 flowers to produce one ounce of saffron. The threads are gathered by hand and dried over a low fire. This labor-intensive process makes saffron the world's most expensive spice. It sells for as much as $312 an ounce. You can usually get it for a reasonable price.... I didn't pay that much for mine. Each recipe usually calls for a half-teaspoon or less. It had a delicate bittersweet flavor and honeylike fragrance.
Risotto Milanese
Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons finely chopped prosciutto (about 1 ounce)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Combine saffron and broth in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. ( I usually crush the saffron to release the flavor while it soaks)
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, prosciutto, and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until shallots are tender. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.
Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Remove from heat; stir in cheese and pepper. Serve immediately.
8 comments:
Ok, who is going to make me a meal like this sometime? Or rather, is Mary ever going to go to the store and buy saffron and all these wonderful ingredients to make my family this meal? Probably not...so consider yourself spoiled Jason, this is very delicious sounding. Anyway, someday I may actually try this out instead of hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.
I'll make it for you the next time you come and visit, Mary. I know Daniel likes risotto so maybe you can ask him to make it for you. I bet it will go great with hotdogs!
can you substitue saffron for something else?
Mom, I bet you can substitue the saffron with any one of your favorite spices. Or you can just leave it out and add more parmesan cheese and add a tad bit of heavy cream.
I substituted ham for the prociutto because I just baked a ham the other day and had left overs. I used light cream rather than heavy because that's what I had and I grated in a tad of fresh nutmeg,in exchange for the sweetness of the saffron. Yes, cooking the risotto is somewhat labor intense, but the results were very good. You know your father, if it isn't meat and potatoes he probably won't eat it, but he thought it was good.
I'm so glad you made one of my recipes.... it isn't a total waste of my time posting it then. Thank you mom. See... you can substitue with anything. I bet it was yummy!
Your recipes are very delicious sounding, and I will be excited to taste some at times. I'm glad you made such a great meal too Connie, Kara has your touch...a very good cook. :)
I am definetly making this receipe, but alas, I have only Caitlyn and I, and she is hardly ever here, she is back in the "dating game" again.
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