How to make creamy bacon and mushroom risotto in just 35 minutes. For this recipe, I got inspired by Jamie Oliver’s mushroom risotto to which I added a blondie’s touch. Keep reading to see what came out.
Hey Foodies,
Today I will show you how to make bacon and mushroom risotto (yuummyyy!), and I have to tell you from the start that it’s super creamy, incredibly easy and crazy delish.
The basis of this recipe is Jamie Oliver’s mushroom risotto. This was already delicious (as expected from Jamie), but somehow I felt there was still room for a few more flavors.
So I took the opportunity to add a few ingredients (a blondie’s touch) that made a huge difference.
I wanted to make a creamy mushroom risotto but in the same time textured, so I added bacon.
Then I asked myself ‘What other flavor goes well with bacon?’
Hmmm, cheese is a great fit wouldn’t you say?
So I added grated parmesan which is an excellent flavor booster.
More Recipes With Parmesan:
But it seemed like it was still missing something…
And it didn’t take me long to figure out what because this one is a blondie’s cherished flavor.
Can you guess what that is?
Let me make it easy for you. It’s wine, of course 🙂 .
So I took Jamie Oliver’s mushroom risotto, added bacon, parmesan and wine, and what came out was a sort of ‘food porn’ that gave me a ‘foodgasm’ 🙂
Now, I could go on for hours telling you how good it was but I know you are greedy foodies and words will never be enough to feed you.
So let’s hop right into the tips and tricks section and then make this easy bacon and mushroom risotto recipe.
How To Make Bacon And Mushroom Risotto – Best Tips & Tricks
1. How To Make Risotto Creamy
Contrary to people’s belief when it comes to risotto, you don’t need to stir constantly.
If that was true, bodybuilders would give up exercising and start making creamy mushroom risotto 🙂
However, you do need to stir often and here’s why.
First of all, the rice can stick to the bottom of the pan quite easily. That would totally ruin our bacon and mushroom risotto, so it’s a big no-no.
Second, you need to stir because that’s actually what makes the cream.
By rubbing against each other, the grains release starch which in combination with stock forms the cream.
So, although you don’t need to stir constantly, keep an eye on the rice while it cooks and give it a good stir from time to time.
Next, don’t add too much stock if you want to make creamy bacon and mushroom risotto, otherwise, you’ll practically boil it.
And there’s a ratio to keep in mind here: for every cup of rice, you need to add 4 cups of stock.
So you need to wait until the rice sponges all the stock and then add more.
Another thing worth noting here is that you need to use hot stock. This is contrary to what some people believe that the cold one would work the same.
It won’t. It will cool everything down and that would change the whole cooking process, making it more complicated.
Keep in mind that mushroom risotto is best served warm, right after cooking, because that’s when it is the creamiest.
If you let it cool and keep it in the fridge it will lose that creaminess. Don’t get me wrong it will still be good but not as good as it was originally.
However, if you still need to refrigerate it there’s no need to worry, ’cause I’ve got a trick up my sleeve.
Whenever you need to re-heat it, just stir in 2-3 Tablespoons of stock per serving. That will bring back the creaminess, although, it won’t be as al dente as it was before.
Yet, that’s a small price to pay, isn’t it?
Now let’s move forward with my next tip.
2. Which type of rice to use for risotto
Technically, you could make it with any short to medium grain rice.
But then Italy would probably send some Mafiosi to ‘make you an offer you won’t refuse’ 🙂
So just to be safe, it’s best to stay within the tradition and use the more popular kinds of rice:
- Arborio – most popular
- Carnaroli – best for making creamy risotto
- Vialone Nano – less popular but none-the-less very good for making it creamy.
Other less popular types of rice are cal riso, Maratelli, and Baldo.
3. A few little but very helpful tricks
Don’t rinse the rice before cooking.
Never cook the rice until it’s mushy. Just like pasta, it should be cooked al dente.
Also, don’t cook it with other vegetables. If you are planning to serve it with veggies, then cook those separately and add them only after you finish making the risotto.
Now that you know all these tips and tricks you are ready to make this creamy bacon and mushroom risotto recipe.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Oh, and let me know if you like the tweaks that I’ve made to Jamie Oliver’s mushroom risotto, ok?
And if you happen to like them and want to see more recipe videos like this, please Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
Bacon and Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (250g) Arborio rice - or any other risotto rice
- 4 cups (950ml) stock
- 1/2 cup (120ml) white or rose wine
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan
- 1 Tbs olive oil - extra virgin
- 1 onion - finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves - minced or pressed
- 3.5 oz (100g) smoked bacon - chopped
- 10 oz (275g) mixed mushrooms - sliced
- Fresh herbs of choice - to garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan and cook the onion for 4-5 mins to soften.
- Stir in the bacon and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook for 5 more mins until they start to release their juices.
- Stir in the rice and cook until it absorbs the juice.
- Add wine and give it about 2-3 minutes to reduce.
- Add stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring well, and wait until most of it is absorbed before adding the next ladleful – it will take about 15-17 mins to add all the stock.
- Once the rice is cooked, stir in the grated parmesan.
- Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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