Secret's in the saffron?

Risotto is another one of those food items that I cannot resist ordering if I see it on the menu. I absolutely LOVE risotto. I have tried to make it several times before using different recipes and failed. It always tastes the same- bland. I'm not sure if the problem is me or the recipes I have tried. For those who have never made risotto, it requires some patience because you slowly add chicken broth or wine and then let it absorb, stirring constantly, then add some more, usually only 1/2 cup at a time. This takes a while, as you can imagine. You add some cheese and butter at the end, and the result is creamy risotto. A proper recipe will never have cream in it; the risotto becomes creamy from the absorption of the broth and wine. Once when I ordered risotto at an italian restaurant, a dinner-mate made fun of me for ordering "a bowl of rice". Risotto is SO much more than a bowl of rice. If properly made, it is really creamy and flavorful. I have never eaten nor made Risotto Milanese before, which is from Milan, but there it was on page 343 so I gave it a go. I already had most of the ingredients except for the saffron. I have never cooked with saffron before (either because my other recipes didn't call for it or I just left it out), but I know it is common in Spanish cooking because of a previous Top Chef winner who used it all the time. I went to buy the spice at the supermarket and was shocked to see that it was $18, much more costly than the other spices of $4 and $5. So I gritted my teeth and bought the stuff, thinking it better taste like GOLD! Apparently it is so expensive because it is hand harvested.

As I was making it I was on the phone with my sister Melanie and I did not have high hopes because it didn't smell that great when I was adding the broth. After adding the cheese, butter and lemon zest, I gave it a try. SUCCESS!!!! It was so good! It has a nice golden color from the saffron and a little zip from the lemon zest. I am so happy you have no idea. I will make this recipe again and again and again and would even make it for company.

I ate the risotto with a little cheese and parsley sprinkled on top and a glass of Wiemer Semi-Dry Riesling, courtesy of Melanie (check out her wine-making blog: http://iheartnywines.blogspot.com/ ). For the vegetarians out there, you can probably make this with vegetable broth instead. For WW peeps, its 3 points for half a cup ( I ate a lot more than that, oh well). Risotto is actually supposed to be a "first course" but if you love it as much as I do, it definitely takes center stage.

So if you think that risotto is just a "bowl of rice", come on over and try some. If there is any left :-)