Leek, Bacon and Winter Greens Risotto
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Leeks, bacon and greens are a wonderful combination – add sage, garlic and parmesan and you’ve created a winner.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped sage
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock, hot
sea salt and ground pepper
Winter greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch chilli flakes
100 grams streaky bacon, thinly sliced
250 grams broccolini
100 grams baby spinach or silverbeet leaves
¼ cup mascarpone
parmesan cheese, for grating
METHOD
Winter greens: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and add the garlic, chilli and bacon. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Cut the broccolini into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan. Cook until crisp tender, then add the spinach or silverbeet leaves and turn to wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Risotto: Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan and add the onion, leek, garlic and sage. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until tender. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute.
Add the wine and simmer until it has been absorbed. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until each has been absorbed before adding the next. After about 20 minutes the risotto should be quite loose in consistency, with the rice cooked but still with a tiny bite. Stir in the mascarpone and the bacon and greens.
To serve: Spoon the risotto into warm shallow dishes and top with a generous grating of parmesan. Serves 4.
latest issue:
Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!