(Treat Yo' Self)
There are very few cultures in the world who do not use rice, or some grain, as a staple in their cuisine. It’s affordable, filling, and versatile enough that it can flow between being the side dish or the main course with ease. This particular recipe calls for it to be the star of the show and it’s one of my favorites because it involves a bottle of wine as a main ingredient, or at least that's the way I cook it! I believe the traditional northern Italian way is to use a lot of broth to get this dish to its creamy texture but seeing as this is a “slow simmer” ingredient and we’re focused on the interest of time we will use a couple of other ways to make this perfect.
What You’ll Need:
1 pack of bacon, yup, a whole pack
1 Bushel of leeks - you can substitute for green onions or yellow onion
2 Mushroom Bulbs
2 boxes of arborio rice or any medium short-grain rice.
8 oz of grated parmesan cheese
8 oz of cream or whole milk
1 Bottle of dry white wine - Chardonnay usually works.
2 Cups of Vegetable broth - or two cups of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Season With
1 tablespoon of Salt
1 tablespoon of Pepper
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of basil
1 tablespoon of granulated garlic
What That Taste Like?
Earthy, creamy, and delicious
Serves 4 - 6
Let’s start with the delicious fatty bacon! You can either heat your oven to 400 degrees and cook for 15 minutes or pan-fry on both sides. The goal is to get it crispy enough to crumble.
In a medium-sized saute pan, one with some depth to it, add some butter over medium-high heat.
Once it starts to melt mix in the rice until it’s coated completely and cook for about 1 minute.
Just before the pan begins to burn add in 1 cup of the white wine and let it simmer. Feel free to add a cup of wine to your glass too. lol
While that simmers begin dicing your veggies. Small half-inch squares.
Once the wine dissolves add another cup (and another one for you) and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir.
As the wine begins to dissolve again add half the veggies to the pan and mix until they start to become tender. Don’t let them burn.
Add another cup of wine (go ahead, another one for you too) and simmer until the wine is dissolved.
Now we add one cup of broth, or the water, and bring to a boil.
Add in the rest of the veggies and reduce to a simmer and let the broth dissolve.
Once it dissolves add the next bit of both. I know it’s pretty repetitive but I swear it’s worth it!
Once the final bit of broth dissolves add the bacon, cream, and seasonings and mix them together, let it simmer.
Slowly stir in the parmesan cheese as the cream begins to thicken.
Just before it’s all gone remove the pan from heat and let the rice absorb the remaining liquid.
That’s it, garnish it with some fresh basil or throw more bacon on top. You don’t need to serve this one with a side dish since it’s very carb-heavy but feel free to throw some garlic bread in there.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog for more foodie goodness!