Tomato and Bacon Risotto…or not….
Admin on Oct 21 2009 at 9:52 pm | Filed under: Food, Savoury
Two things I am a huge fan of are…risotto…and magazines! Well you may be wondering what the two possibly have to do with each other. In Morocco we really battle to get English publications, and as gorgeous as the French and Moroccan publications are, my language skills are still sorely lacking and translating page after page takes up a fair amount of time. So yesterday I was most pleased to find a copy of BBC Easy Cook (albeit the late summer edition!) in our local newsagent.
Whilst paging through it I came across this recipe for a baked tomato and bacon risotto. Now I am a bit of purist when it comes to risotto making and a firm believer in the old fashioned way of stirring after each addition of stock until the rice is perfectly cooked and the texture is rich and creamy!
I decided to give the recipe a try though as I needed something quick and easy for dinner.
It was easy to put together and less labour intensive than a real risotto. And whilst the end result was full of flavour and perfectly edible, for me just lacked the creaminess of proper risotto. It is in fact for more like some of the baked rice dishes we have had in Spain than a risotto.
Perfect for an easy mid-week meal though!
Recipe Adapted from BBC Easy Cook :
200g Bacon, diced
4 Baby leeks, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp thyme leaves
300g risotto rice
400g tomato passata
500ml chicken stock
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Preheat the oven to 180°Celcius.
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Fry the bacon for a few minutes until crispy, add the leeks, thyme and garlic and fry for a few more minutes.(If the bacon isn’t very fatty, add some olive oil to the pan when you add the leeks.)
Add the rice and the remaining ingredients, stir well to mix and bring to the boil.
Cover with tin foil or a tight fitting lid and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the rice is done.
Season to taste and serve garnished with some parmesan cheese.
I make risotto very often. It is a very versatile dish and also very nutritious. I don’t understand why people shy away from making risotto because they think it is too difficult to make. I will try this variation on it. It sound very interesting.