Risotto: Risotto With Bacon, Mushrooms And Walnuts A Great Risotto Recipe

Risotto

 

[caption id="attachment_1385" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Risotto With Bacon Mushrooms And Walnuts Click To Enlarge[/caption]

Risotto as many of you know is an Italian rice dish that is cooked in some kind of broth or stock and made to come to a creamy consistency. The stock used is either a meat, fish, chicken, or vegetable broth or stock. Many risotto recipes also include cheeses like parmesan, gorgonzola, asiago or grana padana. Butter and/or oil is most often used to soften onions and coat the rice before the stock is added. Risotto in Italian kitchens is called the Primo or the first course of your dinner service.

Risotto is a high starch rice the starch is called Amylopectin starch. The variety of rice itself is a short grain hearty rice that has a really nice chew to it. All rice is capable of absorbing liquids but when it comes to that Arborio rice in my opinion is the king. There are many varieties of rice used in Italy to make Risotto and they are as follows: powdered Porcini mushrooms.
1 Lb of Crimini/Baby Portobello mushrooms.
3 Tbsp. Fresh chopped basil or basil chiffonade.
1 Tbsp olive oil.
1 Lb bacon or pancetta cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
6+ cloves garlic fine chopped or minced.
1 cup of finely chopped onion.
2 cups Arborio rice.
1 cup white wine I used Pinot Grigio.
1/4 cup heavy cream.
1/4 cup Parmesan, Grana Padano, Parm Reggiano or Asiago cheese.
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese.
1 cup chopped walnuts.
salt and pepper to taste.

The Method:

1. Bring your chicken stock to a simmer. It must be hot to make risotto.

2 Combine your powered shitake/procini mushrooms with your Crimini mushrooms in a bowl and put aside.

3. In a large saute pan saute your bacon/pancetta in the olive oil on medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon/pancetta browns and well cooked. This will take 10-15 minutes depending on stove and saute pan.

4. After the bacon/pancetta cooks remove it with a slotted spoon and place to the side.

5. In the same pan with the rendered fat saute your oninons and garlic until softened and browned a bit. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on stove and saute pan size.

6. Now take your mushroom mixture and add to the saute pan and stir to combine ingredients. 3-5 minutes.

7. Once mushrooms have softened and reduced add your rice and reserved bacon back into the saute pan
and stir to coat all the rice in oil.

8. Once the wine is coated check the quality of the browning of the ingredients in the pan and then add your wine slowly to deglaze the pan of all those tasty brown bits. Remember to scrape the bottom of the pan and stir constantly. Allow the alcohol to evaporate and most of the liquid to be absorbed into the rice. About 2-5 minutes, just watch.

9. Now begin to add chicken stock 1 cup at a time and stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning.

10. Let the rice absorb the chicken stock. About 2-3 mins + before adding more stock.

11. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time and let get absorbed until 4 cups have been reached.

12. Now start adding stock into pan at rate of 1/2 cup of stock at a time and let get absorbed. This should take about 30 minutes +/-.

The risotto should be nice and creamy by now. It will "tighten" up when it is served. When the risotto is completely finished in the saute pan it is time to add 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Gorgonzola, 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup heavy cream and stir it all up for a minute or so. Now add your basil and 1 cup crushed walnuts and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Put a cover on the saute pan and turn off heat and let stand for 2 minutes more to allow walnuts to soften. Once walnuts have softened a bit serve the dish quickly. Optional: Add additional Gorgonzola/Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy!