The pandemic has certainly hindered our RoadTrip travel for two years. Hunkered down in our home most of the time, we have traveled vicariously through Andrew Zimmern’s “Delicious Destinations” and Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy” on television. It’s not the same, but we have been inspired to create our own take on cuisine from around the world.
One of Tucci’s shows took him to Milan. We have not been to Milan, but it is on our bucket list. He featured a luxurious Risotto Milanese and his recipe is in “The Stanley Tucci Cookbook”. We followed the recipe to the letter and what a delight. Rich and creamy rice glimmers with the golden hue of saffron. Then with leftover Risotto Milanese, we tried our own version of arancini. Risotto rice balls are stuffed with mozzarella, fried and served with marinara. We can’t say it’s a traditional version, but until we try the real thing in Italy, it’s ours. And it’s really good.