Pea and Bacon Risotto
Discover a comforting bowl of Pea and Bacon Risotto with Hellers' bacon. Creamy arborio rice blends with succulent bacon, fresh peas, and a hint of lemon, creating a rich, savoury dish perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus a knob of butter
- 1 onion or a leek finely chopped
- 2 - 3 celery, finely chopped
- 200g Hellers bacon, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 300g arborio rice
- 6 - 7 cups hot chicken stock
- 2 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
- 1 cup baby spinach
- salt and pepper
- knob of butter
- 75 - 100g grated parmesan
- 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
Sauté the onion, celery, <a href="/product/nz-free-farmed-streaky-bacon">bacon</a>, garlic with the olive oil and butter until soft.
Add in the rice and stir to coat and lightly toast.
Add in stock in 3 batches, stirring to absorb the stock in-between, before adding more in. You want a medium to high heat so it doesn’t take forever. Just keep stirring so the risotto doesn’t stick.
Save the last cup of stock and add to a blender with half a cup of peas and the cup of baby spinach, blend until bright green.
When the rice is just about cooked, add in the last green cup of stock from the blender, and cook for a minute or two.
Taste and season, also check the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat, add in a knob of butter, the parmesan and the peas, lemon juice and zest.
Cover and rest for 5 minutes while you set the table.
Serve with extra shaved Parmesan if you like.
