Nonna Luna's "Bitter Rice" (Risotto Alla Milanese With Radicchio)
Nonna Luna's Bitter Rice
Category
Side Dish
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Calories
626
Author:
Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
-
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic, (chopped)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
1 cup risotto rice, such as Carnaroli or Arborio
-
1/4 teaspoon saffron
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, (plus for serving, optional)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1 small head radicchio, (chopped)
Instructions
- As seen on: Giada In Italy, Episode 2. Nonna Luna's Secret: Entice with Rice
- Place a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, shallots, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the shallots are soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and saffron and stir to combine and to coat the rice in the flavorful oil. Toast the rice for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the white wine to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. When the wine is absorbed, reduce the heat to medium-low and begin adding the broth 3/4 cup at a time, stirring often between additions (to release the starches) and waiting until the broth is almost entirely absorbed before incorporating the next addition.
- This will take about 20 minutes total.When the last addition is almost absorbed but there's still a thick liquid surrounding the rice, stir in the Parmesan, cranberries, butter, radicchio, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir until the cheese and butter are melted and the radicchio is wilted. The mixture should still have movement and not be too stiff, add a bit more broth as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Serve with additional grated Parmesan if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition
- per serving
- Calories
- 626
Amount/Serving
% Daily Value
- Carbs
- 54 grams
- Protein
- 20 grams
- Fat
- 33 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 15 grams
- Cholesterol
- 56 milligrams
- Sodium
- 647 milligrams
- Fiber
- 2 grams
- Sugar
- 8 grams
2 reviews & comments
You're not crazy! Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It's the stamen of crocuses. Costco sells a stoppered bottle of saffron that contains about a tablespoon of it, so for 1/4 tsp you'd only need a small pinch of that tablespoon.
So, call me crazy, but when I've seen saffron for sale in the store, there are usually a few strands of saffron in a small bottle. To get enough strands to fill a 1/4 of a teaspoon, it's going to take me a few bottles to do that with. Am I missing something? At that cost, we're looking to spend $50+ for this dish. Correct me if I'm missing something. Thanks