In the spirit of the season, I feel morally compelled to start out by saying what I’m thankful for: and let’s just say that stretchy pants is right at the top of my list. I’m also so relieved it’s seasonally appropriate to carb-load, because risotto has never been SO creamy and SO decadent [enter: the stretchy pants]. I mean is it even winter if you’re not carb-loading? I didn’t think so. That’s basically like refusing to wear chunky sweaters and plaid in the winter — it’s just wrong.
And right now, my friends, I need to be right. And by that, I mean really embracing the season, which obviously manifests itself in the form of a carb-bender…. naturally. Between the three cheese macaroni and this ridiculously good chicken pot pie, I’m gonna go ahead and say that I’m really excelling here [tells myself: we’re all good at something, sometimes you just have to work at it].
Now that we’ve cleared that up, can we just chat about how unbelievably delicious this is? It’s pure coziness. Comfort food at its best. It’s so savory, cheesy… ugh *nostalgia sets in*. Every bite is a like a little pillow of heaven. Is that even a thing? I have no idea — but if not, this risotto just made it a thing.
Quick aside: I love cooking for the sous chef, who swears my ulterior motive is to fatten him up [just more of him to love, right?] — but it totally isn’t! So long story short, he’s been really focused on portion control [which is really adorable, because he uses small plates, and goes back for seconds… which is portion control, I suppose… just many portions [love you babe!]. And with this risotto… THIRDS! It’s just that good.
And so let’s be serious here… serve this as a side dish: you’re a hero. Serve this as an entree: you’re a hero. With this recipe, you can literally save anything. But mostly dinner.
Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 1.25 hours |
Servings |
people
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- 6 strips bacon
- 3 medium sweet onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 6 cups chicken stock heated
- 5 oz. garlic and herb goat cheese
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated (plus more, for serving)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or more, to taste)
Ingredients
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- In a large pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until brown and crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cool, crumble the bacon.
- Reserve 4 tablespoons of bacon fat, and discard any excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. Add the sliced onion and thyme, cooking over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes until the onions are soft and turn deep amber in color.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan, and increase the heat to medium. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Saute for 6-8 minutes until tender. Remove the onion, garlic, and mushroom mixture from the pan, and set aside.
- Add the final 2 remaining tablespoons of bacon fat to the pan over medium heat. Add the arborio rice, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring often until almost absorbed, and repeat. The rice should absorb just about all 6 cups by the end.
- Add the goat cheese and Parmesan cheese to the rice, mixing until melted and well-incorporated. Add the caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bacon to the risotto. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.
- Serve hot, and top with additional Parmesan cheese. Eat!
Our wine choice: Route Stock Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Route 29 2013. This Napa Cabernet is a delicious medium to full bodied red, with notes of dark fruit and earthy herbs -- a perfect wine to pair with this decadent risotto. Cheers!
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