This weekend I cooked not once but twice. Believe me this is a big deal. I wanted to cook stuff that I knew Whitney wouldn't like and since she'll be home in two weeks, I figured I better get cracking. She doesn't like rice and Dan and I love risotto, so I thought that would be good to make. We have a recipe that we like but I wanted to experiment. I found a recipe for bacon risotto on allrecipes and thought hey, we like bacon, let's try it.
I have to pat myself on the back and say I made a perfect risotto. Creamy and cooked to perfection. The basic recipe could be adapted to use any kind of vegetables or meat you wanted. The bacon was nice but actually wasn't necessary. The important part is the creamy texture you get in the risotto.
Bacon Risotto (recipe from allrecipes.com)
- 1/2 pound bacon, diced
- 5 cups chicken stock (I used 3 cans + 1/3 cup white wine)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook and stir the diced bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon and reserve.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to low to keep the chicken stock hot.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice and stir until the rice is coated in butter and has started to toast, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in one-third of the hot chicken stock and continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all. When finished, the rice should be tender, yet slightly firm.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the Parmesan cheese, and the reserved bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
I made a couple of changes. I added white wine after coating the rice before adding any broth. It also took me about 25 minutes to get to the right consistency. I added salt and white pepper before it finished so that would cook in. Use this as a good base for making risotto and you can't go wrong.
I understand that risotto is no easy task, so GREAT for you Tracy. We aren't big fans of it, preferring regular rice because risotto just reminds me of rice pudding in a way [and no thanks!] but I bet with bacon it would be good.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if I told you, but I love allrecipes too and whenever I get a craving for something I have never made before I go there. Ta-da! They always have whatever I am looking for and I love the comments of others that have made it because they will tell you substitutions/additions they have made [like your wine] and whether or not the recipe worked. It is so important to read the comments before jumping in to make something [learned that lesson] because when you get 200+ people saying the same thing [like "It's too salty. Make sure you add less."] you KNOW to do it.
I just wish the people that submitted the recipes were able to change them in cases like that, y'know?
I just put on a big pot of homemade vegetable soup for dinner. I think I could peel and chop fresh vegetables all day long. Sounds weird, but it is very soothing to me. And I making Squirrel one last batch of cookies [oatmeal raisin with a touch of cinnamon] for the end of her sophomore year. Sigh. They're growing so fast, aren't they Tracy?
PS - Is it rare you don't cook because you don't have the time, you hate it or you just aren't that good at it? [I know the last one can't be true, but I threw it in there. hee] Or because it is just the two of you now?
Hugs to you my friend! We'll talk soon, I'm sure.
I have to say, I have never had risotto. Maybe it's time for a change. :)
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