An irresistible combination for a creamy and fragrant risotto: the risotto with saffron and taleggio, to be prepared with Carnaroli rice from Il Chicco del Mulino. Because?

This 100% Carnaroli variety was born in Zibido S. Giacomo, a small town in the Po Valley, halfway between Milan and Pavia. Among trees, meadows and canals, the farmhouse dating back to 1400 and built before the Naviglio Pavese, has mills with which rice was once piled and flour was ground.

Today different qualities of rice are grown, including Carnaroli, the one with the greatest success. Carnaroli rice is particularly suitable for making risotto, for several reasons. First of all, the grain is large and tapered, it perfectly retains the aromas and cooks well. This is thanks to the starch present in this variety, richer in amylose, a substance that contributes to making the grain consistent.

The recipe for saffron and taleggio risotto

Ingredients

1 l vegetable broth
300 g Carnaroli rice Il Chicco del Mulino
200 g taleggio cheese
20 g of butter
1 g saffron pistils
1 onion
extra virgin olive oil q.s.
Salt to taste.
white wine to taste

Method

Melt the saffron in a cup with a little warm broth, at least half an hour before using it.

Fry the chopped onion in a saucepan with the melted butter and a little extra virgin olive oil. As soon as it is golden brown, filter through a fine sieve directly into the pot in which you will cook the rice: in this way the onion will have flavored the sauce, but it will not cover the flavor of the risotto.

Heat the sauce well, add salt and add the rice, stirring constantly for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to toast it. Add 1 ladle of boiling vegetable broth every time the risotto tends to dry out and stir occasionally.

Almost at the end of cooking, add the taleggio cheese, deprived of the outer rind and cut into cubes, and the cup of broth in which you dissolved the saffron. Turn off the heat, mix everything while stirring, stir in a little butter, let the risotto rest for a few minutes, then serve it.