Risotto al Salto Recipe (2024)

You can make subrics (crispy little rice cakes) with leftover risotto (any kind) - just mix it with egg and then fry spoonfuls in butter &/or oil.

I have found that my slow cooker/rice cooker makes excellent risotto with no stirring. I go through step 3 and then add the rest of the stock and wine to the cooker. I follow cooker directions for rice, then continue with step 5 once pressure has come down. Very easy. Now I make risotto frequently.

I grew up eating risotto. My mom did one thing differently, and it’s useful I think. She would ladle the initial dose if broth over the rice, then add the saffron to the risotto pot. In that way any unused stock was good old chicken stock, easily reused for other things. And every precious granule of saffron gets into the risotto. This same technique works with porcini risotto, for another high treat.

This recipe is just fine, but if you want it to be really outstanding, substitute veal or beef marrow for some or all of the butter. And I too vote for providing weights for all non-liquid ingredients in all recipes.

The risotto recipe here is bizarre. Marcella Hazan's classic version: For 2 cups of rice use a mere 2 tablespoons of onion - more than enough. Saffron: a third of a TEASPOON of strands, chopped and dissolved in a cup of the stock. No Italian cook would squander an entire tablespoon of the costly spice by adding it to a quart of stock, some of which will be discarded. Instead you add the cup of concentrated saffron goodness towards the end of half-hour (not 18 min.) cooking time.

Do you mean an instant pot/ pressure cooker, because there is no "pressure" that comes down on a slow cooker?

Santa Monica Jack - try Mark Bittman's Pasta Cake. www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/style/dining/the-minimalist-leftover-pasta-reborn-as-a-pie.html

We always had this as an antipasto. I like to serve it with a glass of Spanish dry fino sherry as an apertivo...

Exact measurements are for baking. For stovetop cooking, better just to have fun with the smelling and tasting. That's what cooking is all about.

Hi Sam,Disregard the angry guy going on about measuring - sheesh*thanks once more for your invaluable book, "Thanksgiving," which makes me relish the week before and the day even more than ever. Fan of yours,Alice

Melissa Clarke has an Instant Pot recipe, "Wild Mushroom, Pea and Pancetta Risotto" that makes a perfect risotto without the stir, stir, stir. Wonder if the same technique would apply to this recipe? Anybody want to hazard a guess?

Although I would live the rest of my life on the satisfaction of creating a dish like this from scratch by myself - I doubt that I could ever do it justice. I think I'll just order it.

Nothing wrong with the risotto; it's the "salto" part that is not worth the trouble. I had (1) trouble getting the risotto to hold a solid mass, and (2) having it stick to the pan.

Don’t waste your good risotto in this recipe.I make risotto all.the.time. It’s my go to mid range dinner.I Tried this to change what I do with my leftovers. It was a disaster: 1) The rice will stick to the bottom of the pan; 2) the risotto does no coalesce in a “pancake” and 3) you will splatter butter and/or oil all over.You are better of doing any of the following:1. A great risotto frittata2. Arancini (risotto balls, great baked or deep fried)3. Reheat your risotto!4. (Rice salad)

can you put this in the oven instead of stove top frying?

I believe the saffron quantity of 1 Tbs is a mistake. A teaspoon seems more likely, or less given the quantity of stock. I also believe leftover risotto should come to room temperature before adding egg and shaping the pancake. Finally, why struggle with a pan sized risotto disk? Make 4” pancakes that you can easily keep from sticking and flip with a spatula. Serve as individual portions.

I do think that 1 Tbsp of saffron threads is too much. Very expensive, and my risotto with that much saffron was somewhat bitter.

I have to say this recipe was a fail for me - cooking time nowhere near enough, at least at that temperature.

Don’t waste your good risotto in this recipe.I make risotto all.the.time. It’s my go to mid range dinner.I Tried this to change what I do with my leftovers. It was a disaster: 1) The rice will stick to the bottom of the pan; 2) the risotto does no coalesce in a “pancake” and 3) you will splatter butter and/or oil all over.You are better of doing any of the following:1. A great risotto frittata2. Arancini (risotto balls, great baked or deep fried)3. Reheat your risotto!4. (Rice salad)

As others have mentioned, add the saffron directly to the rice with the first 2 cups of stock - it seems like shame to waste some if you don't use all the stock.

“Most recipes call for very little saffron, so you'll often find it sold in packets of 1/16 of a teaspoon or so, and in threads equaling about 1/4 gram or 1/2 a teaspoon. “

This is a tricky one. My cast iron pans are about as non-stick as teflon, but sticking is a problem here. Shaking the pan breaks the cake. In the end it was slightly informal looking, but tasted great. Hmm..going to have to practice this.. a lot.

I had some leftover risotto so I decided to try the 'salto' portion of the recipe. No luck. I read the instructions several times and understood what I was doing, I used a nonstick pan and clarified butter, and the risotto stuck immediately. Next time I'll use more butter and start with a somewhat hotter pan to encourage a crust to form immediately. Once again, I bow to the prowess of Italian mothers-in-law and professional chefs.

Nothing wrong with the risotto; it's the "salto" part that is not worth the trouble. I had (1) trouble getting the risotto to hold a solid mass, and (2) having it stick to the pan.

Can I double this to eat risotto one night and cakes the next, or is this recipe not tasty on its own? And do I really need clarified butter?

I've been making risotto cakes the day after I make risotto (often in the oven) for as long as I've been making too much risotto. Now that I see this recipe I want to make it, and right now, not tomorrow.My question is; does sitting overnight do something to the cooked risotto that a half-hour rest wouldn't do? Has anyone made this recipe without the long rest?

I agree with Merrily....if you have an Instant Pot, the mushroom, pea, pancetta recipe is the best. And so easy. I think it would make s great risotto cake, but frankly, we never have any left over !!

We had leftover risotto from Hazans recipe. So I tried this out. I’ve never been very lucky with my riso al salto but all the butter made the difference. It caused the crisp that I had always missed. I’ll definitely make more risotto next time for the day after treat.

Melissa Clark’s Dinner in an Instant has a Milanese risotto like this. She calls it Saffron Rissoto. I would try that for this.