SPRING PEA AND BACON RISOTTO
(GAVIN SUTHERLAND RECIPE)
The food and wine pairing we have prepared for the Holiday Season is Assen's Fortalice Adelaide Hills Chardonnay which @another_food_blogger has paired with Spring Pea and Bacon Risotto. Gavin's tips and tricks to get your risotto a gorgeous creamy texture work to perfection and this dish is balanced perfectly with Heirloom Assen's Fortalice single vineyard chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills. This wine’s shining stainless steel rail of clear, bell-like, acidity cuts through the rich creamy texture of this delicious risotto.
Enjoy.
serves 4
Ingredients
Risotto
Arborio rice x 1 cup
Shallot x 1 – diced
Garlic x 2 cloves – crushed
Stock x 1 litre – veg or chicken
White wine x 75ml
Butter x 100g (75g & 25g)
Parmesan cheese x ½ cup (grated)
Olive oil x 1 tbsp
Peas x 200g
Other
Streaky bacon x 4 – 6 slices – sliced into lardon
Mint - handful
Sugar Snaps x 3 – sliced finely lengthways
Pea shoots – handful
Method
- Place hot stock in a saucepan on low heat to keep hot
- In a saute pan on high heat cook onion & garlic in olive oil & 25g butter – 2 minutes
- Add rice, stir and cook for a further minute
- Add white wine and cook for a minute stirring regularly
- Fry bacon until crispy in separate frying pan and set aside – 5 minutes
- Add stock to rice, one soup ladle at a time and stir regularly until you have one ladle left
- Once you add the last ladle of stock, add peas and cook until ½ of it has reduced. Then stir in 75g butter and ½ cup of parmesan *see tips*
- Remove from the heat, stir in bacon leaving a little to garnish the top of risotto
- Top with mint, pea shoots, bacon & sliced snow peas. Sprinkle with a little more grated parmesan and enjoy!
Essential Tools
- Chopping board
- Chef knives
- Saute pan
- Sauce pan
- Cheese grater
- Wooden spoon
- Frying pan
- Soup ladle
Tips/Tricks
- Always start with the stock hot. If you add cold stock to your rice not only will it take AGES to cook but your rice will turn to mush
- I always make a little extra stock just incase. You need to taste the rice for doneness as it may take a little more or less liquid to cook the risotto. Cooked risotto will taste slightly al dente but you may want a softer risotto so before adding the last ladle grab a spoon and taste!
- Risotto can be made in advance too. If you cook the risotto about ½ of the way and then remove it from the heat and spread it out onto a sheet tray to cool you can then finish it within 5-10 minutes when guests arrive.
