a Certificate of Excellence from
TripAdvisor each year from 2015 to
- “It’s the one thing we can’t take
off the menu, although we change the
rest every day. People just come and
ask for it,” says Christian, who trained at
one of Milan’s top hotel schools, Istituto
Statale Professionale Servizi per
l’Enogastronomia e l’Ospitalità
Alberghiera (IPSEOA), otherwise known
as Carlo Porta.
There are different ways to prepare
saffron for use in cooking; one is to
make an infusion by soaking the
threads (about 4 to 12 per person,
depending on the desired taste and
the recipe) in a little hot water or stock
for two to three hours before using.
Another, which Christian prefers, is
toasting the threads in a dry non-stick
frying pan for 60 seconds before
placing them between two sheets of
baking paper and tapping them to a
powder using a spoon. “This way, you
have more control – you can add a
pinch at a time,” Christian explains,
as he starts the dish from scratch;
frying some finely chopped shallot in
spoonfuls of oil and butter until
coloured, and then adding arborio rice,
stirring it over the heat to coat the rice.
“Thericehastobethirsty,”Christian
says, adding a ladle of hot vegetable
stock – causing the rice to make the
sound known as il sospiro (the sigh) –
followed by half a cup of dry white
wine. He continues to stir the rice with
a wooden spoon until the liquid is
absorbed, and then adds another ladle
of hot stock. “A lot of our dishes are
vegetarian,” he says. “Although I come
from Milan, my roots are in Spain and
Bergamot. Both my parents were
farmers and cooked with vegetables
from the garden.”
After about six to seven minutes
of stirring, the rice begins to turn
creamy. At this point, Christian adds
a pinch of toasted and powdered
saffron before he continues to add hot
stock, stirring until the rice reaches
a wonderful, glutinous consistency
that remains slightly al dente at the
centre of each grain. A tablespoonful
of grated Taleggio cheese (a semi-soft,
washed-rind, smear-ripened Italian
cheese) is added, plus a tablespoon of
cold butter, before the rice is left to
rest. Finally, the risotto is served –
shaped into a golden disc – on a black
plate garnished with a few fresh mint
leaves in the centre. Buonissimo!ONCE UPON A TIME
The story of saffron stretches
back into the mists of time, when
it was known to the Egyptians –
who used it as a dye, in cosmetics
and in gastronomy – as well as
the Greeks and Romans, who
valued it for its therapeutic
qualities to cure ailments ranging
from toothache to rheumatism.
It is also illustrated on the walls
of the Palace of Knossos on
the island of Crete, and in the
Bible in the Canticle of Canticles
(Song of Solomon) where it is
mentioned as one of the most
precious plants in a symbolic
garden. Today, it is also used
by Buddhist monks to dye
their robes.
The spread of saffron to the
western world is thought to go
back to the Middle Ages, when
the Arabs planted crocus flowers
in Spain during the time when the
region was under their control [in
fact, the word “saffron” comes
from the Arabic “zafaraan”]. After
that, saffron was first recorded
in Italy in the 12th century – one
story attributes its introduction
to a Franciscan friar involved
in the Spanish Inquisition, who
smuggled some crocus corms
from Spain into Italy – and, by
the 13th century, it was widely
cultivated, especially in Umbria.CHEF-PATRON AT
BISTROT DEL DUCA,
CHRISTIAN PALAZZIBEFORE YOU GO
South African nationals need a
Schengen visa to travel to Italy.
Visit it-za.capago.eu for more info
on how to apply.BUON APPETITO!
BISTROT DEL DUCA
Piazzale Sandro Pertini 1, Città della
Pieve; +39-(0)75-334-189-0920;
bistrotdelduca.it/
MELAGRANI FARM
Via Guidonami 16, Castiglione del Lago;
+39-(0)75-335-592-7139; melagrani.it
LA CASA DELLO ZAFFERANO
(THE HOUSE OF SAFFRON)
Via Vannucci 31, Città della Pieve;
+39-(0)75-347-381-1394;
lacasadellozafferano.it/it/
TERRE DI CONFINE
Via del Tresaccio 26, Città della Pieve;
+39-(0)393-949-5629; terrediconfine.itCULINARY TRAVEL