Risotto with Asparagus and Bacon (thanks to Tze'ela and Mauro (cookingintoscana.it) for sharing their wonderful recipe and techniques)

An upscale way to serve  risotto- on a bed of bacon chips with asparagus flowers on top and bacon  around the outside of the plate.

An upscale way to serve risotto- on a bed of bacon chips with asparagus flowers on top and bacon around the outside of the plate.

  • 1 medium onion, cut in ¼'s

  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1" slices

  • 1 medium celery, cut into 1" dice

  • 1 bunch asparagus, divided

  • 3 slices bacon

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced

  • 2 TBSP olive oil

  • 3 TBSP butter, divided

  • 1 Cup rice(carnarolli if possible), 200 grams or 6. ounces

  • 1 Cup white wine

  • 2 TBSP parmesan cheese

  • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1.Cut the tops off the asparagus and set aside. Take the top half of the stocks and dice in ¼” dice . Set aside. Place the remaining parts of the asparagus stocks into the stock pot along with diced carrots ,diced celery and 1/4 cut onion plus a generous amount of salt and pepper.. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on the stove top 25-30 minutes. Set aside to use as rice cooks.

2.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake until crisp 8-10 minutes. Cool, dice and set aside.

3.In a large pot, place olive oil and 1 TBPS of butter simmering until onion is translucent.
Add rice and coat with oil- stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and let it evaporate 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.

4.Add diced asparagus stalks and 2 ladles ( @1/2 cup each) of stock to the pot. Stir the rice occasionally allowing the rice to absorb the liquid but not stick to the bottom of your pan.. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. As the liquid continues to be absorbed, add 2 ladles of stock at a time ( possibly 3-4 times), stirring . After 20-25 minutes, the rice should be tender and liquid absorbed. Test the rice and adjust salt and pepper. ( note. You may not need all the stock) When the rice is tender, add remaining butter and parmesan cheese to the pot. Cover off the heat and let set 5-10 minutes.

5.To serve, top with asparagus flowers and bacon.


Notes:Making risotto is not difficult but it does take attention to the cooking process- stirring to be sure the rice doesn’t get too dried out as it simmers. Another important detail is to use a high starch rice- our favorite is Carnarolli.

 

Source

Loree's Fine Food

Servings/Yield

2 servings

Rating

Cuisine

European

Course

Main

Equipment


Posted on January 24, 2021 .