This recipe delivers a rich and creamy risotto. Puréed peas flavour the risotto sauce, giving a wonderful richness. Additional peas and some bacon added into the rice make a perfect risotto dinner.
Carnaroli rice is my choice for this risotto, though Arborio rice works well too. As well as rice a good stock is vital in the perfect risotto. Homemade or shop bought stock is fine for this recipe. Ham stock worked well for my recipe. However a good vegetable stock would be great for this dish too.
The time required to complete is not overlong. Cooking bacon lardons is the first task. Then fried shallots and peas, with stock, are used to make a purée. Next it is time to start making the risotto.
That begins with gently frying the rice, to coat in butter. The main task then begins for this recipe. That is cooking the rice in hot stock. Adding the stock correctly is necessary to cook the rice properly. The rice absorbs the stock, a little at a time. The cooking continues until all the stock has been used, or until no more is being absorbed. The remaining ingredients complete the recipe, when added.
My risotto had the perfect texture and flavour. It was rich and creamy and satisfied my appetite wonderfully. Italian cuisine is so satisfying on the palate and this recipe fulfils that need.
Another great stove-top recipe is my Beef Stroganoff.
Perfect Risotto – Pea & Bacon Risotto
Course: Stove top recipesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes1
hour300
kcalIngredients
280G(1 1/3 cups) carnaroli rice(or arborio rice)
250g(2 cups) frozen peas
100g(1/2 cup+ 1/3 cup) shallots finely chopped
40g(about 3 tbsp) butter
2 litres(8 cups) hot vegetable, chicken or ham stock, as preferred
150g(about 1 cup) bacon lardons, or chopped bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, for frying
Directions
- Fry the bacon in a little oil, until as crisp as you prefer.
- Drain the bacon and set aside, retaining the fat in the pan.
- Fry the shallots of a low heat until softened, in the same pan.
- Add 1/2 the peas and a little of the stock and cook for about 5 minutes, adding salt to taste.
- Put the shallots and peas mixture into a jug and pulse or mash into a purée. Add a little more stock if required. Then set aside.
- In a large pan( I used the same pan ,but cleaned it first), heat the butter.
- Place the stock on a low heat to keep it hot.
- Add the rice and cook on a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring to coat all the grains in the butter,
- Ladle in enough stock to cover the rice completely and allow it to cook until the rice absorbs most of the liquid.
- Continue to add more stock, cooking as before until the rice is well swollen and is cooked to the consistency, when bitten, that you prefer. You may need more, or less stock than 2 litres. The risotto should be thick and creamy, and the rice should be swollen. There should still be liquid in the mixture, it will absorb further after cooking is complete.
- Add the pea purée and stir to combine into the mixture, allow it to cook as you also add the remaining peas and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Stir in about 2/3 of the bacon pieces, retaining the remainder to garnish the top of the servings or risotto.
Notes
- For an even richer flavour you may wish to great some parmesan over the risotto when serving it.