Risotto alla Milanese is one of the most famous—and imitated—Italian dishes in the world, and unfortunately, it’s also one of the most mistreated. Ready-made packets, stock cubes loaded with glutamate, mysterious yellow powders, and rice grains with the consistency of reinforced concrete. The truth is that for decades, we’ve been accustomed to the quickest way. […]
September is the only month of the year when you can plant saffron bulbs. If you miss this narrow thirty-day window, you’ll have to wait a full twelve months before you can try again. Learning to grow saffron means first and foremost tuning into a biological clock that doesn’t allow for delays or shortcuts. I […]
You bought some precious saffron threads, opened the package to make an unforgettable risotto… and then forgot about them in the pantry. Now six months have passed. You look at them and wonder: will they still work? Has they lost their properties? For all saffron growers, knowing that every ounce of their labor is lost […]
The next time you fire up the grill, pause for a moment before throwing your meat into the glowing embers. That hasty habit of grabbing a chicken breast or swordfish steak from the refrigerator and throwing it directly onto the fire is the main reason why, too often, we end up chewing on something dry, […]
Saffron gelato is the best-kept secret of artisanal gelato shops. If you walk into a gelato shop and see a tub of neon yellow, almost phosphorescent, turn away: what you’re looking at is almost certainly the result of a mix of synthetic dyes. Real saffron gelato has a warm, almost sunny golden color and an […]
