I’ve made real risotto milanese before.
I even wrote about it, posted a recipe and took pictures.
This is risotto milanese.
This is not.
Aside from the stark difference in color, there is one main change: I didn’t use saffron. And judge me if you must, but I prefer it this way.
It all started this summer at Paziols. We had decided to make the meals according to an international theme — one country for every night. I was in charge of the menu, and with Turkish, French, Catalan and Italian nights, I decided to add a Spanish night, with “Spanish rice.” What I had envisioned was yellow rice with peas, but it was only once we got to the table and were making our shopping list that I realized that saffron rice for 30 people wasn’t really feasible on a budget, and we decided to color our rice with turmeric instead.
I have always associated turmeric with Indian food, but the smoky flavor of the spice doesn’t necessarily have to accompany curries. We ate “Spanish rice” all summer, sometimes plain and sometimes in that French classic, riz composé, (sidebar: 2008!? Really?? I guess I need to make riz composé again soon…). When I got home, my kitchen was as empty as my pockets, and I relied on the summer classic — rice with peas and turmeric — to get me to my next paycheck.
I’m not exactly sure where the idea to turn basic rice-and-turmeric into luxurious risotto-and-turmeric came from, but come it did, and now it’s here to stay. I can’t find chicken broth in France, so I just use hot water with salt, but the turmeric and butter give this rice dish more than enough flavor. It’s the perfect thing for when you’ve got nothing in the kitchen, and a different spin on yellow risotto.
Not-Risotto-Milanese
(Note: I make 50 grams of rice per person for an appetizer portion, or 70 grams of rice for a main dish portion. That being said, it’s very rich, and when cooking for myself, I make an appetizer portion and a giant salad. The recipe below is for 2 appetizer portions, or a pretty huge main for one person.)
hot water
25 g. (a bit shy of two tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup white wine
100 g. rice
1 Tbsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
Heat the water in an electric kettle or on the stovetop until simmering. Cover and keep warm.
Heat a tiny bit of the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the rice and cook one minute, stirring frequently, until the rice is slightly translucent. Add the turmeric, stirring to ensure that it doesn’t clump.
Add the white wine, stirring constantly, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Begin adding ladlefuls of hot water, stirring as you add them. Continue until the rice is cooked through and toothsome, about 20-30 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Stir the remaining butter and the salt into the risotto. Serve immediately.