My Nan has always been the queen of making the famous “Risotto Giallo”, so loved by us when we were children and now by our children too. Nonna Carmela is now 99 years old and she is still taking charge of the ladle and the spoon when it comes to making risotto for all the family - which means normally 10 or more people! So here I’m sharing her recipe.

Ingredients

Stock - beef or made with water and stock-cubes (Knorr originals only).
Rice -  only the best Arborio quality - 2 fists per person + 1 fist for the pan!
A small bit of onion
25g of unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
25g of powder saffron (for up to 5 people; double the dose if you are cooking for more)
A pinch of salt or some powdered stock
A glass of white wine or champagne - optional
Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/3 tbsp per person

How to proceed

Put the whole piece of onion in a deep non-stick pan, with the olive oil. Heat up gently. When golden, remove the onion and add the rice keeping stirring for a few minutes so it doesn’t burn. In a different pan, keep the stock simmering, ready to be used.

Add the white wine or champagne and let it evaporate on a strong heat, then turn the heat down and start adding the stock a couple of ladles at a time. Keep stirring and let the stock be absorbed slowly, then add some more stock before it dries completely.

Add a pinch of salt or a teaspoon of powdered stock to the rice, but remember that the stock is already salty (especially if made from stock cubes), and that the Parmesan cheese that you will add at the end adds to it too. Too much salt cannot be removed, but too little can then be corrected at the end by adding a bit more.

Normally it takes about 20 minutes for the rice to be cooked in this way, but there are some qualities that are precooked so check the package for instructions on timing.

5 minutes before the rice is cooked, i.e. when it is “al dente”, add the saffron powder and a couple more ladles of the simmering stock. Mix well and continue cooking until the rice is ready. Turn the heat off but make sure that it is not completely dry. Add the butter and the parmesan cheese. Mix well and taste it to check for salt. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then serve.

 Tips

I know I said that if you put too much salt there is not much you can do, but actually if you keep tasting the rice as you go, if you realise that it is becoming quite salty, you can start adding boiling water rather than stock. This is not the best option, but it is a quick fix that does work Also, add less parmesan cheese at the end and more unsalted butter.