Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Risotto with Greens and Bacon

Here's a little something I dreamed up to use up some leftover kale & broccoli rabe we had in the fridge. On top of using those up, I also wanted something very comforting because Matt has been a little under the weather with a cold. I count a big bowl of creamy risotto right up there with the best of the comfort foods.
395 - Risotto with Greens & Bacon
Don't be scared off by risotto. I often hear people say they don't want to make it because of all the time & stirring it takes. Really you don't have to stir every minute its cooking. Just stir it from time to time while you are doing other things around the kitchen & it'll turn out just fine. Truly, its worth that little bit of effort & 20 or so minutes it takes to cook.
By cooking the greens right along with rice in this ricotto you give them plenty of time to get tender and lose any bitterness. The rest of the flavors of this dish are quite simple, garlic, onion, smoky bacon & Parmesan, but they blend together so well & compliment the greens. Matt absolutely loved it, he even said it would be just as good without the bacon...well, I did tell you he was sick.

Risotto with Greens & Bacon

2 strips bacon, chopped
4 c chicken stock
1 T olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c arborio rice
1 bunch greens such as kale, swiss chard or broccoli rabe, if using kale remove any large stems, chop into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1 oz Parmesan, grated

Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel & set aside.

Put the chicken stock in a pot & bring to a simmer. Keep at a simmer while cooking the risotto.

In a large heavy pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion & garlic & sauté until the onion is just translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the rice then cook while stirring for one minute until coated with oil. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock & stir until completely absorbed. Add the greens & one more 1/4 cup of stock, once again stir until the stock is completely absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/4 cup at a time, only adding each addition when the previous is absorbed. When you have used almost all the stock the rice should be tender but still have a slight bite to it. Turn off the heat & add the last 1/4 cup of stock & the grated Parmesan. Stir until the cheese is melted. Either stir in the bacon or serve sprinkled on top . Top with more Parmesan if you wish.

2 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

12 comments:

Elle said...

Wow, this looks so good, and you're right--comforting! Hope Matt's feeling better soon.

Deborah said...

Risotto is a great comfort food!

Thistlemoon said...

This looks great! I made risotto for Easter. It is definitely a comfort food! Hope Matt feels better soon!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

My fave comfort food - can't beat a creamy risotto

Fresh Local and Best said...

I am going to have to try your 'stir every so often' method. This looks like a fantastic risotto!

grace said...

i'm among those goobers who shy away from making risotto for fear that it requires too much effort. what you've done here is so appealing though--darn my laziness! :)

Michelle said...

WOW...a bowl of scrumptious! It's close to lunch time and I'm starving NOW!

Susie said...

This was fantastic! Made it tonight and it was a huge hit with the hubby. Only changes I made were the addition of one more piece of bacon (we love bacon..) and handful of chopped shittake mushrooms. Just lovely. We've now discovered we like kale...

Sippity Sup said...

This will make Matt feel better I know. GREG

Lori said...

It is so delicious and worth it! Love these flavors Kat.

Meg Luby said...

oh my gosh, yum yum yum!

risotto is one of those things that i don't think i can/will ever get enough of. and this recipe looks phenomenal!

i can't wait to try my hand at it! bacon is a great call for anything, haha

thanks for posting! keep it up please! love you guys and love your blog! <3 meaghan @ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com

Alicia Foodycat said...

This looks so good! Definitely a nourishing dish if you are feeling poorly.

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