Leek And Pancetta Risotto Recipes

LEEK RISOTTO WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a large, wide saucepan, and add the pancetta slices. (It's OK if they're not in one layer, as they will shrink quite a bit.) Turn heat to medium and cook, turning and rearranging the pancetta until lightly browned, crisp, and the fat has rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pan.
• Add the stock and 1 cup water to a separate medium saucepan. Transfer the saucepan to a back burner and bring to a simmer over low. Keep warm on the lowest heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan that you cooked the pancetta in, and add the leeks, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high until wilted and soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring, until grains look slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until nearly absorbed, about 1 minute.
• Add a ladleful of stock to the rice - you want just enough to barely cover the surface of the rice. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring very frequently, until it's nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue adding stock in this way until rice is very creamy, but still al dente, 15 to 20 minutes total. You may not need all of the liquid, but you will probably use most of it.
• Stir in the butter and cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the snap peas. Add more of the remaining liquid if needed to loosen (it should be a bit soupy), and divide among four shallow bowls. Crumble the reserved pancetta over top, and sprinkle with chives, if desired.

PASTA WITH PANCETTA AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
• Saute the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered and it starts to brown. Add the leeks and cook, about 8 minutes. When you add the leeks, you can also throw in a pat or 2 of butter if you want to. This'll give the dish some scrumptious flavor.
• After 8 to 10 minutes, pour in the wine, and then cook until reduced, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and then pour in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in some Parmesan.
• Toss in the pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin as needed. Serve with Parmesan over the top - delicious!

LEEK & BACON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Keep the stock hot in a saucepan. Heat the oil in another large pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Stir in the leeks and soften for 5-7 mins. Add the rice and cook for 1 min. Pour in the wine and keep stirring until it is absorbed. Add the stock, one ladle at a time, stirring and waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Continue for about 20 mins until the rice is just cooked and the risotto has a creamy consistency. Season, then stir through the bacon along with most of the Parmesan and chives, saving a little of each to scatter over before serving.

PRAWN, PANCETTA & WATERCRESS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide pan and fry the pancetta for 2 mins on each side. Drain on kitchen paper, then crumble. Fry the onion in the same pan for 5 mins until soft.
• Stir in the rice and garlic for 2 mins to coat in the oil. Add half the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins until absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, constantly stirring until the rice is tender, about 20 mins.
• Stir in most of the watercress and the parmesan. Season well. Add the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice.
• Spoon half the risotto onto a plate (use for lunch the next day, see tip below). Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2 mins until pink. Toss the rest of the watercress with 1 tsp oil and lemon juice. Serve over the risotto with some pancetta and parmesan.