Risotto with chicken, bacon, mushrooms...

Risotto with chicken, bacon, and mushrooms

I've often seen risotto cooked but never managed it all the way by myself until tonight. In support of Australian hog farmers (pictured in great distress, holding sweet little piglets, on the front of today's Sydney Morning Herald) I have added bacon to our usual recipe. 

A few chicken breasts

Some bacon

Some onions

Some garlic

Some mushrooms

[All of the preceding cut in pieces, with fat removed if appropriate]

2 liters of packaged chicken stock

3 cups of arborio rice

Parmesan cheese (grated)

Oil of your choice

Seasonings of your choice

Maybe a splash of cream?

In a big pan on the stove, cook the chicken pieces with garlic and a bit of onion; set aside. Then cook the mushrooms; season to taste and set aside. Now put in bacon and the rest of the garlic and onion, and some oil; cook/fry this until the bacon is done and the onion is cooked as well. Pour in the rice and stir/cook until the rice is translucent. 

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Once the rice is clear, add the stock to the rice mixture gradually, stirring constantly, trying to get the flavour of the stock (and bacon and garlic and onion) into the rice. Stir and cook until the liquid is absorbed, then add some more. When the rice has expanded and turned white again and the liquid is almost completely absorbed, put the chicken and mushrooms back in the pan... [At this point I called my friend and she stirred in a splash of cream and then we served it, with a dusting of grated parmesan on top.] 

Comments

[MM]

I'm missing that California-style Mexican food you used to make!