This legendary recipe is more than 5 years old and perfectly shows the sophistication of the Alajmo brothers. Lightly modified it is still featured on their classics menu at Le Calandre.
190 gr. of chicken soup
4 gr. of saffron powder
Dissolve the saffron in the hot chicken soup and cook it till it shrinks into a third.
For the risotto
1,2 l of the chicken soup
320 gr. if Carnaroli rice
80 gr. of grated Parmigiano cheese
70 gr. of dry white wine
60 gr. of butter
50 gr. of saffron concentrate
15 gr. of small hacked white onion
12 gr. of extra virgin olive oil
5 gr. of lemon juice
2 gr. of powder of the dark liquorice
1 gr. of saffron pistils
a bit of salt
a trace of sugar
Fry the rice together with oil and onion, fade with the white wine, add salt, saffron pistils, then gradually add the chicken soup and 30 gr of the concentrate.
When it’s cooked remove from the heat and add butter, parmigiano cheese and lemon juice.
Stir well, emulsify with a drop of the hot soup and put it on the plate. Strew the surface with the licorice powder and make some sketch or brush stroke with the concentrate of saffron.
Measurements
Quantity of saffron and licorice are relative and depend on their intensity.
About the extraction
Instead of using saffron powder risotto can be made (creamy risotto with grated orange peals and parsley) with drops of concentrate of the red orange.
Italy’s youngest three-star Michelin chef (restaurant Le Calandre), Massimiliano Alajmo is revered by his clients and peers alike for his clever interpretation of traditional Italian flavors.
Born in Padua, Italy in 1974, Massimiliano came into the world with a passion for food in his DNA. Together with his brother Raffaele and sister Laura, Massi is a part of the fifth generation of the Alajmo family, self-employed as chefs and restaurateurs.
Le Calandre is on 46th place on World’s 50 best restaurants list.