Nuts about risotto!

A regular craving for risotto is one of the things that will always keep my relationship with my running shoes fresh. There is no substitute for that creamy goodness that slouches on the plate and causes one’s body to follow suit.

Over the years I’ve had some really beautiful plates of luxurious risotto. Prawn and saffron, squid ink and crispy tentacles, roasted garlic and thyme with toasted almonds and bread crumbs and of course the usual, but just as delicious, the humble mushroom risotto studded with gutsy Porcini and laced with freshly grated Parmigiano. Thinking about those dishes now brings a smile to my dial, even though I’ve just devoured a plate of gooey goodness.

Today I decided to make risotto-for-one with whatever I had in the kitchen. It turned out to be a dish made without wine or stock but with water and flavoured by bay leaves, a hunk of spreadable goats milk Chevin, bacon and Roux Pecans.

Ingredients

Arborio rice  -2 spilling handfuls of

Olive oil, 1T

¼ onion, diced

1 bay leaf

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 cup boiling water

¼ cylinder of Chevin

3 rashers of bacon

Roux Pecans

salt & pepper to taste

Method

Sweat the onions off in the olive oil with a pinch of salt and a bay leaf. Add the garlic just before the handfuls of rice and allow the grains to soak up the oil and turn slightly translucent. Add just enough water to cover the rice and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until the grains are soft but have a bit of bite left in them. The dish shouldn’t be sloppy but more like a tender embrace.

In a frying pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Allow to drain on a piece of paper towel. Set aside. Toast nuts in the bacon fat.

Once the rice is done, season with salt and pepper and add in the cheese. Stir until melted. Serve with a rasher of bacon and toasted Roux Pecans.