Risotto with Peas and Bacon

A few nights ago, I was rooting around the cupboards trying to use up ingredients.

I came across a bag of rice which we normally do not eat, so can only assume we bought it on a whim.

The only time we ever eat rice is when we have Risotto or Charles makes his incredible Paella!

So I figured I would do some experimenting and try and make a risotto with normal rice – it was delicious.

Now I know there are purists out there who would most probably be very disapproving to the fact that Risotto rice was not used in this recipe

But I would definitely recommend giving this one a go. You can add any yummy goodies you like, it doesn’t have to be peas and bacon, that’s is just what I happened to have lying around.

That’s the thing I love about Risotto, it’s so versatile, an expressive dish of your own tastes and flavours.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of rice, this made two healthy sized portions

1 onion, diced

Knob of unsalted butter

Glug of olive oil

½ a glass of white wine, this can be left out but it adds a lovely flavour

1 litre of chicken stock, you can use homemade but I just use a cube

1 cup peas, frozen

6 rashers Bacon

½ cup grated parmesan, or any hard cheese you have

Method:

Firstly, get your stock nicely heated up and leave on a low heat so that it stays warm throughout.

Next, fry up the bacon in a hot pan so that it gets a bit of a crunch, this is a personal preference but I think it adds texture.

Add your butter and olive oil to your pot on a medium high heat. Once the butter has melted add your onions.

You wanted to cook them so that they are translucent, but not discoloured.

Once the onions are ready add your rice and stir so that all the grains are coated in the butter and oil.

Next add the wine and stir until all the liquid is gone – I love this stage, it smells great!

Once this is done, turn the heat down a bit and start adding the stock, a ladle full at a time, each time stirring until the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

This takes about 15 minutes, you want to cook it so that the rice still has a bite but is not crunchy in the middle.

About 5 minutes before this is done, I add the peas so that they can defrost and cook in with the rice. Season as required.

Lastly add the bacon and cheese give it a stir and put the lid on the pot leaving it for 2 minutes, I learnt this from Jamie Oliver, it makes the Risotto creamy, oozy and delicious!

Eat straight away.

Chloe + Charles