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Saffron risotto with gold leaf by Gualtiero Marchesi


Marchesi saffron risotto

Gualtiero Marchesi is to be considered a luminary of cuisine, as well as the master of many chefs on the Italian scene that we know well. Among his most famous dishes (and simple to replicate at home) is saffron risotto with gold leaf, also known as rice and gold .

Unlike the traditional recipe , here we have a sort of "inside out" risotto . The rice is toasted almost dry and cooked with a light broth (such as chicken broth) and saffron. The initial ingredients, i.e. the sautéed onions and the wine, are cooked separately and used to prepare the sour butter , used to stir together with the parmesan. Put like this it seems complex but let's see together the steps to discover the secrets of this starred dish.

Edible gold leaves
Edible gold leaves

Ingredients

For the sour butter

  • Quality butter – 80 g
  • Onion – 1
  • White wine – 200 ml

For the risotto

  • Butter – 20 g
  • Carnaroli rice – 320 g
  • Chicken broth – 1 l
  • Saffron in pisitils – 2 g

For creaming

  • Sour butter – 50 g
  • Grated Parmesan – 40 g

Preparation

How to prepare the saffron risotto recipe by Gualtiero Marchesi

1

First prepare the sour butter . Place a spoonful of butter taken from the total into a saucepan and add the chopped onion with a knife. Cook it until it is very tender then add the white wine . Let it evaporate until you no longer smell alcohol.

2

Before starting, soak the saffron threads in a little water or broth.

3

Add the rest of the butter at room temperature and pass everything through a sieve to remove the onion. Transfer it to the refrigerator for at least an hour before using it.

4

In another appropriately sized saucepan, toast the rice with the butter then cook it, adding the chicken broth one ladle at a time. The rice must always be barely covered. In total it will take 16-18 minutes of cooking.

5

Just before the end, about 5 minutes, add the saffron and mix.

6

Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the sour butter and parmesan. Let it rest with the lid on for a few minutes then distribute among the plates. According to Gualtiero Marchesi, a plate with a black border would be needed (but all black is fine too). Spread the risotto well, place the gold leaf and serve. To the detriment of etiquette, Marchesi's risotto should be eaten with a spoon.

Here is a video with all the steps explained by Marchesi. By using quality raw materials you will obtain a perfect first course for special occasions.

The audible gold leaves are not essential but give the dish its characteristic appearance. You can find them for sale online and in most well-stocked grocery stores.

Conservation

Also in this case the risotto should be enjoyed as soon as it is made. We do not recommend any form of conservation.

Origin and history

The dish was born a bit by chance in 1981 when Mr. Angeletti , producer of (edible) gold leaves to be used for decoration and a loyal customer of the restaurant, asked the chef to create a dish that could amaze his uncle. Marchesi, shortly before the service, had not yet devised anything that could satisfy this request so he simply decided to place the leaf on the saffron risotto that he already had on the menu .

The dish remained, in a certain sense, forgotten for a few years. In 1985, the photographer Riccardo Marcialis contacted him for a photo shoot on the use of yellow and gold in the kitchen. The chef then proposes his now famous rice and gold, a modern reinterpretation of a traditional dish.

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