Chef’s recipe: Saffron and red pepper risotto 

Alison Ranwell has just opened Mangia Mangia, a new Italian deli for Lichfield.

She began cooking and delivering her mother-in-law Nonna Lili’s lasagne to local customers during lockdown and went on to run a popular food stand at local events before launching food blog The Italian Way, and then her own cookbook before her latest business venture.

Here, she shares a recipe for risotto allo zafferano con peperoni, or saffron and red pepper risotto. 

Alison’s Italian husband Francesco is praised for his risotto and this a dish popular when friends visit. 

Saffron and red pepper risotto 

Preparation time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 25 minutes 

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

2 red peppers 

80g butter  

1 white onion, chopped  

360g risotto rice 

1-1.5L vegetable broth, boiling (see notes) 

2 tbsp pouring cream (optional)  

Cracked black pepper, to taste 

60g Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 

.2g of saffron threads or powder (usually 2 sachets) 

½ tsp dried or fresh parsley 

Preparation 

1. If you are using saffron threads, soak the equivalent of .2g in 2 tablespoons of hot broth while you prepare the dish.  

2. Wash the peppers, remove the pips and stalk, then chop into small pieces. 

3. Heat the butter in a large, deep saucepan and fry the onions and peppers until the onion is translucent. 

4. Add the risotto rice to the pan and mix so that the rice is evenly coated. After half a minute, add 400ml of broth.  

5. Keep stirring gently while the rice cooks on a medium heat, adding 250ml of broth at a time as it absorbs into the rice. Add the cream here, if using. 

6. As soon as the rice is al dente, mix in half a ladle of broth, add the saffron and switch off the heat. 

7. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir in the remaining butter, black pepper and Grana Padano until creamy (see la mantecatura in Cook’s Notes). Let the risotto sit for a minute and stir again just before serving. 

Cook’s Notes 

Keep a pot of simmering broth beside the risotto pan so you can easily ladle it into the risotto while you cook. You can use stock cubes or make your own vegetable broth by boiling an onion, celery stick and carrot in a large pot of salted water. It is important that the broth is boiling when you add it to the risotto to avoid slowing the cooking process. The quantity needed depends on the type of rice you choose. 

Stirring while the rice cooks creates a creamy risotto. It is not necessary to constantly stir, just make sure the rice does not dry up and stick to the pan.  

• The original Daily Focus story about Mangia Mangia’s launch can be found here.