Mushroom and Pancetta Risotto.

Risotto always sounds like a challenging dish to make, but it doesn’t have to be. This simple method makes a super tasty dish which is both filling and decadent. The mushrooms have a beautifully earthy tone which works perfectly with the saltiness of the pancetta and the overall texture is creamy, but the rice still has some bite.

Time:

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cooking: 40- 45 minutes

Total= 45- 50 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

70 grams x baby chestnut mushrooms

65 grams x Italian unsmoked pancetta, diced

1 x shallot

1 x garlic clove

1/2 cup x carnaroli risotto rice

1 x chicken stock pot/ cube

500ml x water

1 x small handful parsley

3/4 x teaspoon dried rosemary

1 x teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 x teaspoons butter/ lactose-free alternative

2 x teaspoons lactose-free parmesan, finely grated

Salt and pepper for seasoning

 

Instructions:

1. Cut the baby chestnut mushrooms into quarters and finely dice the shallot and the fresh parsley.
2. Heat the oil and one teaspoon of butter in a medium non-stick pan until melted. Add the shallot and sweat on a low heat for a couple of minutes until just translucent.
3. Crush the garlic clove into the pan and add the mushrooms along with the other teaspoon of butter. Sauté on a low-medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Then, add the pancetta and sauté for a further 3 minutes. The mushrooms and pancetta should be nice and golden.
5. Add the risotto rice into the pan and coat in the pan juices for a minute or two.
6. Meanwhile, dissolve the stock cube in 500ml of water and heat over a low flame in a saucepan.
7. Add a small splash of stock to the rice pan and cook on a medium- high heat for 2-3 minutes to deglaze the pan. Add the rosemary at this point and season well with salt and pepper.
8. Then add several ladles of stock to the pan until the rice is just lightly covered and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring frequently.
9. Once the stock has been absorbed, add another couple of ladles and continue to stir frequently. Repeat this process for another 17 minutes until the rice is al dente and most of the stock has been added and absorbed. The rice should be cooked through but still have some bite.
10. At this point, stir in the fresh parsley and the parmesan to give the risotto a lovely creamy texture. You can also add a touch more butter if desired to make it extra rich, but I prefer it a bit lighter. Serve with some extra cheese grated on top.

 

Recipe adaption: You can of course, like the traditional Italian method, use alcohol such as white wine to deglaze the pan just after adding the rice, but I prefer to keep my recipes alcohol-free. You can also use arborio rice instead of carnaroli if this is easier to find.