miamilan blog

Apart from the usual Italian spaghetti, pasta and pizza, there are many typical Milan dishes. Take these 3, the most typical ones: all of them have something yellow and bronzed in their colours, so it seems as if Milan has the sun inside :). As Feuerbach said "you are what you eat" :)

RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
Risotto Milanese-style
Note: this is a typical dish of Milan, made with rice, saffron and a good quality meat stock.

Serves 4 - Ingredients
For risotto: 400 g (14 oz) Italian or pearl rice, 60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, 1,5 l (50 fl oz - 6 1/4 C) meat stock, 1 medium size onion, 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron, 60 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese, salt.
For meat stock: 200 g (7 oz) beef, in a piece, 100 g (3 1/2 oz) turkey, 100 g (3 1/2 oz) chicken, 1 onion, salt.
Level: medium difficulty. Time, preparation: 10 minutes. Plus time for making meat stock cooking: 20 minutes. The wine: Botticino (a red wine from Lombardy, Milan region).

Traditional recipe
The authentic recipe has another ingredient: beef bone marrow (about 50 g - 1 3/4 oz) to be melted together with butter. Now its use is forbidden in Italy. In any way the secret for this dish is to use a very good saffron. You can also add mushrooms or little pieces of Italian sausage to the ingredients; so you'll have a good one-plate meal. Otherwise you can serve it as a first course and then the boiled meat as the main dish. Prepare the stock. Pour into a pan 2 l (75 fl oz - 9 C) water; add the peeled onion and beef meat. Season to taste with salt and bring to the boil; when the water boils, low the heat to just the simmering point, half-cover and leave to cook for about an hour. At this point add chicken and turkey and continue cooking a further one hour, half-covered and on a low heat. Remove fat, filter the stock and keep it boiling while you are preparing risotto.Peel and chop the onion; put it together with half the butter in a saucepan. Melt the butter and sauté the onion over a very low heat. If necessary, add 2 tablespoons hot stock. Continue cooking for about a quarter of an hour. Add the rice and cook, over a higher flame, for 3-4 minutes until it looks milky, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add 2 ladlefuls of meat stock, and simmer until absorbed, stirring. Keep adding stock, ladle by ladle, until rice is tender, according to the instructions on the package. Shortly before the end of cooking time (5 minutes) whip in the saffron.Switch off the gas, add the remaining butter, stirring, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if you like, and serve.

For a faster and lighter recipe.
- We use 8 tablespoons olive oil instead of butter and just before serving we sprinkle only with Parmesan cheese and don't add any butter.
- If we want an even lighter dish, we prepare stock with good quality bouillon cubes in chicken or vegetables flavors; besides we use 4 tablespoons dried or fresh chives instead of onion and add 2 teaspoons dried marjoram.
- Another suggestion is adding wine (good quality red wine), before stock, and simmering until absorbed, stirring.


COTOLETTA ALLA MILANESE
Veal escalopes, Milanese-style
Serves 4 - Ingredients
4 veal cutlets on the bone, 1 egg, 50 g (1 3/4 oz) dry breadcrumbs, 60 g (2 oz) butter, parsley, white flour, olive oil, salt, 1 lemon.
Level: easy recipe. Time, preparation: 15 minutes, cooking: 20 minutes. The wine: Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero (an Italian red wine from Lombardy).

Traditional recipe
Flatten the cutlets, flour them; dip them first into beaten egg and then into the dry breadcrumbs. In a frying pan, melt the fat with some tablespoons of oil. Brown the cutlets on both sides, over a gentle heat. Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with wedges of lemon and sprigs of parsley.

Note:
- Who likes low fat food, can substitute butter with olive oil.
- For frying, you have to choose a good olive oil. It keeps inalterated its properties at the highest temperatures. The dishes are more digestible and savory.
- You can accompany this dish with baked potatoes or with a green salad with apples and walnuts.


PANETTONE
Panettone, traditionally baked in a tall cylindrical shape, originated in Milan, and is served at Christmas time, but also for celebrations such as weddings and christenings. It can be served as a bread, coffeecake or dessert.
You can cook it, but maybe it's better to buy it :) ('cause then you are sure that's it :).

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins, 5 tablespoons rum, 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons, 1 cup warm water, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons powdered milk, 5 tablespoons butter, softened 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon anise extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 3 tablespoons chopped candied citron, 2 tablespoons pine nuts.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk, softened butter, egg, anise and almond extracts. Stir in the yeast mixture and knead to form a soft dough. Add the drained raisins, chopped dried mixed fruit, and pine nuts. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat, cover, and allow to rise until doubled; about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down; form in a greased loaf pan*, and allow to rise again; about 1 hour.
Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is browned.
Makes 1 loaf.
*Or use a greased 1-pound coffee can to obtain a more traditional shape.