The Broke Baker

Tag: risotto

  • Bacon, Beer, and Three-Cheese Risotto

    Bacon, Beer, and Three-Cheese Risotto

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    I love my friends, but they are a bunch of enablers.  Instead of going outside or having a life, I prefer to spend my free time trying new things out in the kitchen.  They are happy to oblige, always providing me with recipes that caught their eye or that they think I would be interested in.  Of course, it serves their own interests as well, since they normally get to consume the finished product.  I’m not complaining.  I have discovered some pretty delicious things by having a friend plant the seed.

    One such friend, who is practically “vegetarian except for bacon,” sent me this recipe, which immediately caught my attention.  Bacon, beer, and three-cheese risotto!  I love carbs, bacon, and cheese.  What could possibly be bad about combining them all into one, steaming bowl of creamy risotto?  Nothing, that’s what.  I challenge anyone to refute that.  So, I agreed to give this recipe a shot.  And, of course, she was more than happy to come and “assist” and critique the finished product.  Quality control is an important job, you know!  But, thanks to the extra set of hands, I managed to catch some shots of the process to making this decadent dish.

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    Now, I am normally a pretty ad-hoc cook, but risotto is a fairly time-sensitive dish that requires constant attention.  You really can’t step away to chop a shallot or grate cheese while it simmers, so mise en place (prepping everything and having it ready to go before you start cooking) is critical.  So, before you get started, make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go.  You can heat up your broth or stock while this is happening.

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    While your cooking liquid is warming up, you can start cooking the bacon.  Make sure you lower the heat on the liquid as soon as it starts to simmer.  You don’t want to add boiling broth/stock to your risotto.

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    Fry the bacon until it’s nice and crispy, and then strain the bacon out and set it aside.  Do not clean out your pan.  Just pour out all except for about a tablespoon of the bacon fat.

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    So, we’re leaving the fond-crusted pan as-is and dumping our chopped shallots in there, then the garlic once the shallots are soft.  Once the garlic is starting to get fragrant, throw in the rice and let it brown a little.  Add the beer, and cook until the rice absorbs most of it.  Then, reduce the heat and start adding the hot stock/broth, one ladle at a time.  Let the rice absorb most of the liquid before adding another ladle, continuing to stir gently.  It will take about 20-30 minutes for the rice to cook, so be patient and don’t rush it.  If you run out of liquid and the rice is still not cooked through, you can add some hot water and continue stirring until it’s the desired consistency.

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    Once the rice is the desired consistency, add the cheeses and stir until they are melted.  The original recipe uses Parmesan and cheddar, but we added a bit of Gruyere to give it some additional bite.  Add the bacon after that, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

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    Dinner is served!  See those dark flecks of solidified bacon drippings floating around in there? That’s concentrated flavor!

    If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with an extra sprinkle of cheese or some chopped parsley or chives.  But, I’m not fancy.  I’m hungry.

    EDIT 10/28/2017: I recently discovered that this can also be made in a pressure cooker, which saves a lot of effort.

    Bacon, Beer, and Three-Cheese Risotto

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (add in extra 1/2 cup if using a pressure cooker)
    • 6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
    • 1/2 bottle of beer (I use lager)
    • 1 shallot, diced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 quart broth or stock of your choice (I use Vegetable or Chicken Stock)
    • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 cup Gruyere cheese
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    Pour chicken broth in a small pot, and let it sit on a gentle heat.

    In a large sauté pan, cook bacon to render the fat. Once crispy, remove from pan and set aside.  Leaving about 1 tbsp of the bacon fat in the pan.  In the bacon fat, add the shallot. Cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the fat. Cook for about 2 minutes.

    Once the grains begin to brown slightly, pour in the beer. Stir and let simmer. Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, add a large ladle of the hot broth/stock. Continue to stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Repeat the process until the grains are creamy and cooked through.

    Lower the heat and stir in the cheeses and cooked bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

    To make in a pressure cooker: Follow the same steps as the stovetop recipe, except use the liner of your electric pressure cooker on the Saute/Browning setting, until you get to the part where you add the beer.

    Once the rice has absorbed most of the beer, add in the entire 4 cups of broth or stock.  Cover and seal your pressure cooker, then cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 6-7 minutes.   Immediately release the pressure, uncover, and remove the liner from the pot.  Stir the rice with the liquid until it starts to thicken.  Add the cheese, a little bit at a time, until all of the cheese is melted and risotto is creamy.  Stir in the cooked bacon and serve immediately.

  • Mushroom Risotto

    Mushroom Risotto

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    February posts on recipe blogs are usually dedicated to all things pink, red, and nauseatingly romantic.  This year, I have one word for you:

    Risotto.

    Just saying it makes you sound fancy, doesn’t it?  Risotto.  It’s basically just creamy rice, but you don’t impress people with a dish called “creamy rice.”  But risotto…now THAT gets people’s attention.  That’s exactly why it’s a perfect post for the month of Valentine’s Day. Forget heart-shaped cookies with sickeningly sweet, pink frosting.  This mushroom risotto is the ultimate “Date Night Trump Card.”  It uses ingredients they are easy to find and makes a great impression.  This is the dish that you want to present when you want “seeing where things go” to turn into “relationship upgrade.”  When you messed up really bad and are trying to make it up to them.  Or, maybe when you just want them to feel special.  Risotto is Italian for “I will babysit a pot of rice for 30 minutes for you, because you mean that much to me.”  It totally is, I swear.

    At its core, risotto is a Northern Italian dish of rice that is cooked by slowly adding broth to achieve a creamy consistency.  It’s funny that this dish, mainly associated with high-end Italian dining here in the U.S., is essentially staple of home-cooked comfort food.  Basically, it’s Northern Italy’s answer to mac and cheese.  Risotto intimidates a lot of home cooks because it sounds complicated, but is actually quite simple to make.  It takes time and patience, so it’s not something that can be made in a rush.  Done right, you are rewarded with a creamy and satisfying dish that makes a great accompaniment to pretty much any protein, or is hearty enough to make a meal on its own.  As a bonus, this risotto is made with mushrooms for extra heartiness.  I don’t even miss having meat in this dish.

    The key to any risotto is to add the liquid gradually.  One ladle (about 1/2 cup) of liquid should take around 2 minutes to be absorbed by the rice.  Make sure you adjust your heat accordingly to get the proper pacing of liquid absorption, or your risotto will end up either too dry or too runny.

    Mushroom risotto

    Mushroom Risotto

    (Adapted from this recipe from Allrecipes.com)

    Ingredients

    • 6 cups beef broth or stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    • 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
    • 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 cup shallots or onions, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • sea salt to taste
    • freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

    Directions

    In a saucepan, heat the beef stock on medium to medium-high heat until it barely starts to simmer.  Reduce heat to low.

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

    Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same saucepan, and stir in the shallots or onions. Cook for 3 minute, or until onion starts to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, reduce heat and pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 30 minutes.

    Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish each serving with chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese, if desired.

  • Lemon Risotto

    Lemon Risotto

    If you have never had risotto, then shame on you.  If you have no idea what risotto even is, then shame on you even more.  This Italian dish is essentially creamy rice, and is usually served as a first course or main dish, although it can also be a side dish.  Unlike conventional rice cooking methods, in which you add all of your liquid to the rice at the start, risotto achieves its creamy consistency by slowly and gradually adding liquid to the rice while it cooks.  The liquid is usually broth.  Chicken broth seems to be the popular way to go, although beef, fish, seafood, or vegetable broth can also be used.