Risotto alla Milanese

'Roast Chicken And Other Stories' by Simon Hopkinson is one of the loveliest, most informative and useful cook books you may ever read. I flicked through the book and when it came to the saffron chapter I saw this iconic dish- risotto alla Milanese. It is simply risotto tinted with the fabulous colour and musky flavour of saffron.
Hopkinson makes it by precooking the rice all in one, saving us from the boring ladelling of stock one after the other- I sympathise with this highly, and normally make my risotto all in one in the oven, but this method is useful for getting ahead as the rice can be kept cold until needed at its precooked stage.
This makes a lot for just 4, and it is very rich, but that's desirable as there's something magical you can do with the leftovers...
A final note, traditional recipes use bone marrow from any kind of meat, usually beef. If you wanted to you could replace some of the butter in the second stage with it if it's easily accessible at your local butcher.
1)Infuse 2 tsp saffron threads in 1 tbsp hot water. Leave whilst you continue with the rest.
1)Finely chop three small onions, or two larger ones and fry gently in 100g butter in a saucepan suitable for serving (you don't change cooking and serving platforms) until soft and slightly caramelised. This can take a good 15 minutes. Add 400g arborio rice and stir until the rice is coated. If it appears too dry, add more butter. Then, add 600ml strong chicken stock and the saffron and water and stir in. Make about a litre of stock, as you need more later.
2)Bring to a steady boil, then switch off the heat and clamp on a tight lid. Leave, not peaking once, for 30 minutes.
3)After that, the rice will still be hard and dry. Don't panic, from here on in you apply heavy heat and add enough stock so the rice becomes thinner, volcanic even and just tender. You want it more the texture of all dente pasta than rice pudding.
4)Add some more butter and some grated parmesan, or my new discovery pecorino  (more creamy and less salty than parmesan) until glossy and just delicious. Serve to an awaiting table.