Pancetta & Zucchini Risotto

FoodRecipesItalian FoodGourmetCookingFoodie

Oct 8

You’re going to want to pour yourself a nice glass of wine before starting this recipe. Risotto is an incredibly beautiful and surprisingly easy dish to master, yet the attention needed is heavy. I hardly see risotto on the main menu of a restaurant- instead it’s always presented as a nightly special. I assume because the preparation of risotto leaves little room to focus on anything else.

This always kept me away from attempting the dish. I calculated the hyperfocus of it’s preparation process to that of being difficult- I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Risotto is a Northern Italian dish made with Arborio, a highly starchy rice that gives the dish a creamy rich consistency.

The rice is cooked for about 15-25 minutes by gradually pouring in small amounts of hot broth and consistently stirring to create it’s creamy texture.

When I say consistently stirring I mean consistently. Like hovering over the the pan while your arm gets tired stirring. This is where the wine comes in handy.

Serves 2

What You’ll Need:

1 Cup Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
3 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Shallot (Diced)
3 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
Salted Butter
Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan
1 Zucchini (Diced)
1/2 Cup Pancetta

How To:

In a medium saucepan melt about a tablespoon of salted butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in diced shallot and minced garlic over medium heat. Once the shallot becomes translucent stir in Arborio and toast for about one minute continuing to stir.
Pour wine into rice and cook until wine reduces. Heat chicken broth in a separate saucepan while wine is reducing with Arborio.
Once wine has reduced use a ladle to gradually add broth to Arborio. Once you’ve added in a single ladle of broth stir the Arborio continuously until it’s evaporated then pour in another single ladle worth of broth. Repeat this step adding in a single ladle and stirring continuously as broth evaporates until Arborio is creamy and tender.
Once tender add in parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
In a saute pan add diced zucchini and pancetta with a drizzle of oil or a small amount of butter. Sautee on medium to high heat until lightly browned.
Plate risotto, top with sauteed zucchini and pancetta. Garnish with parsley and cracked black pepper to taste before serving.