This is a delicious risotto recipe! And yes, I did make changes. I threw in 1/4 cup of white wine after sauteeing the onion and rice, which is what most risotto recipes call for. I also tossed in some parsley with the parmesan, cheese and bacon. Wonderful. As for those who don't like people giving high ratings to a recipe they've modified, well, I think that's the beauty of this site. You have the basic recipe, which is fine. But if you're like me and are a experienced home cook, you can look at the variations and see how it can be made better or to your own liking. Sure, it'd be great to be able to make a recipe as written, then make it again with your own additions, but who the heck has time for that?
Yum!!! This risotto is absolutely amazing. I lived in Italy for three years and this recipe tastes completely authentic. I used cubed Pancetta instead of bacon and shallots instead of onions, doubled the Parmesan cheese, then added diced Roma tomatoes and frozen peas right before serving. It was so good that my husband and I both went back for seconds and then ate the remainder for lunch the next day! It took almost exactly 20 minutes to absorb all of the broth. It took a lot of stirring, but it was so worth it. Can't wait to make this again!
this was amazing! so worth the time it took to stir it constantly! i also sauteed some sliced fresh mushrooms in a bit of the bacon grease and added those at the end with the bacon. it was so creamy and savory, I actually licked the serving spoon - I can do that, I live alone!
I have to disagree with one post~I like the modifications that people sometimes use on recipes. That's part of the fun of cooking...experimenting. I like to see what other people have done to make the recipe better, and besides, everybody has different tastes and dietary restrictions, so, in my opinion, modifications are definitely a good thing:)
This is DELICIOUS - my whole family absolutely loves it. The second time I made it I modified just a little using turkey bacon and organic / low-sodium chicken stock and it was still wonderful. I can never make enough we always finish every last bite! A MUST TRY!
Wow! If I could give this 10 stars I would! Excellent flavor and well worth the indulgence. I used a mix of rice barley and spelt instead of just rice and I cooked the onions garlic and rice mix in the bacon drippings and didn't use any butter. I didn't have any Parmesan so I used a handful of shredded Italian cheeses. Even as a main dish I think that this would make more than 4 servings - more like 6-8. That's ok for us since we're looking forward to the leftovers!
Just one suggestion: Don't drain the bacon grease; cook with it! Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon fat to add a beautiful undertone of bacon flavor to the whole dish.
I used shallots instead of onions in this and used less bacon and less rice because I make risotto every two weeks or so for my family of three and know that we always have leftovers when I use one cup of rice. I added some fresh basil and tomatoes right at the end of cooking before I added the parm and butter and this was delicious. Both my husband and my toddler loved this dish which is saying something. Excellent recipe- and our house smells divine in the aftermath.
First time making risotto of any kind- measure of goodness? My boyfriend licked his plate and went for seconds. Twelve out of ten!
I have not made it yet but based on the written recipe definitely will be making it. I wanted to comment on the reviewer who said it was too salty. Well DUH you doubled the bacon and the cheese so of course it is going to be too salty!
