Risotto – an Italian classic and rightly so.
If any dish needs total devotion and some TLC it is a risotto and you will not regret the time you give this velvety rice dish.
This risotto has the saltiness of the pancetta and earthiness of the mushrooms and then this delightful spring taste of peas pops through and then a tangy parmesan to bring it all together in a harmonious warming meal.
We absolutely love risotto here in our home and although this is our favourite the dish is actually very versatile.
If you fancy your risotto simple and flavoursome just eliminate the peas, pancetta and mushrooms. Cooking for friends of which maybe one is vegetarian – just change from chicken to vegetable stock, take out the pancetta and add some spinach at the same time as the peas.
So what is your favourite risotto recipe and let me know what you think of this one. I am sure you will fall in love with it straight away.
Pea, Pancetta and Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 litre Chicken Stock
- 70 g Pancetta
- 25 g Butter
- 1 Small onion finely chopped
- 75 g Mushroom thinly sliced
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme leaves
- 400 g Risotto rice
- 100 ml White Wine
- 200 g Frozen peas
- 75 g Parmesan plus extra for garnish
- 2 tbsp. Chives finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
- Sea Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm the stock in a saucepan and keep on a low heat.
- In a medium sized saucepan dry fry the pancetta over a medium heat until browned and starting to crisp, remove and place to the side.
- Add the butter to the pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes then add the mushrooms and thyme cooking for a further minute.
- Add the rice and fry the rice for about a minute and you will see the rice will start to look a little translucent. Now add the wine and cook until most of the wine has been absorbed by the rice, stirring all the time.
- Start adding the stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously until the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next ladle of stock. Keep about a ladles worth of stock behind.
- Add the peas, pancetta, the last of the stock and stir until the stock has been absorbed. You will notice the rice will be soft with a slight bite (al dente), creamy and velvety.
- Add the parmesan, parsley and chives and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve in your favourite bowl with a garnish of chopped parsley and parmesan.
What about the wine , do we just drink it?
Good Evening Christine,
Thank you for noticing this in my recipe. I have updated the recipe to reflect the addition of the wine.
Hope you enjoy the recipe now.
Just trying this right now
The smell of my house smells divine
Thanks for sharing this recipe ! Although I’m almost done cooking it
Im sure it’s delicious
Thank you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as the aromas.
Why are we o ku adding half of the final ingredients?
Hi Ann, I have updated the recipe which i hope is a bit clearer. Let me know how you get on?