300g / 11oz risotto rice |
8 rashers of streaky bacon, smoked is best |
2 large leeks |
1 teacup (half a mug) of frozen peas |
40g / 1½oz of Parmesan cheese |
40g / 1½oz of butter |
1 litre / 1.75 pints of hot vegetable stock |
125ml white wine |
2 tablespoons olive oil |
A bunch of fresh chives |
Salt and pepper to taste |
One advantage of many risotto recipes, which is often overlooked, is that they are true "one-pot" dishes. All the cooking occurs in one large frying pan saving time on washing up!
Risotto should be creamy but at the same time the rice should have a little bite to it. Towards then end of cooking you need to taste the risotto and add only enough of the remaining stock to achieve the correct texture. You may well end up with some leftover stock. Occasionally you need to add a little extra water.
Add one tablespoon of the olive oil to a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the bacon slices and fry for about eight minutes until crispy. Turn the bacon during cooking to ensure it is cooked evenly.
When the bacon is cooked remove it from the pan and place to one side for later use. Leave the oil in the pan.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan then add in the leeks. Fry them gently for seven minutes, turning them frequently to ensure they are cooked evenly.
Now add the risotto rice and fry for one minute. Turn the contents of the pan to ensure the rice is evenly coated with oil.
Pour the wine into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed.
Add about one third of the stock and cook for around eight minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Repeat with another third of the stock.
Taste the risotto and add salt and pepper to your taste. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, butter, peas and half the chives. Cook for a couple of more minutes.
Serve your risotto onto warm plates and sprinkle the remaining chives and bacon over the top