LOCAL CUISINES

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Milan

The capital of Lombardy is also home to many culinary specialties. One of the best known is risotto alla milanese, flavoured with saffron and typically served with many typical Milanese main courses, such as ossobuco alla milanese (cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth) and cotoletta alla milanese (a fried cutlet similar to Wiener schnitzel, but cooked "bone-in"). 

Other Milanese specialities include cassoeula (a typical winter dish prepared with cabbage and pork), Rustin Negaa (a roast using veal covered with white wine or "drowned" in wine), Mondeghili (meatballs of leftover boiled meat fried in butter) and the famous panettone Christmas cake (sweet bread with candied orange, citron, and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked).

Risotto alla Milanese

• Prep: 20 mins
• Cook: 20 mins
• Total:40 mins

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 ¾ cups uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
• 1 ½ quarts beef stock
• 3 tablespoons beef marrow
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon saffron powder
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• salt to taste
• 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Step 1

Melt half of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Simmer the onion and beef marrow in the butter for about 10 minutes. When the onion is soft, remove the onion and marrow from the pan using a slotted spoon, and set aside. (I like to leave the onions in.)

Step 2

Saute the rice in the pan over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Stir constantly so the rice will not stick and burn. Stir in one ladle of beef stock, and keep stirring until it is mostly absorbed, ladling and stirring in more of the broth as well as the white wine in the same manner, until the rice is almost al dente. Stir in the saffron, remaining butter, and 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 4 or 5 minutes.

Step 3

Serve as a bed for ossibuchi or by itself with as much of the remaining Parmesan cheese sprinkled over as you like.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking