Risotto Carbonara

This Risotto Carbonara is my latest comfort food obsession! Creamy arborio rice is combined with smoky bacon and zesty Genoa salami in a rich and cheesy sauce. This is absolutely delicious, and you can serve it for dinner with a simple salad on the side. Or, it can be served as a side dish alongside grilled or roasted meats.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces bacon, diced
4 ounces sliced Genoa salami, diced
3 cups chicken broth, homemade if possible
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup onions, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup white wine
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon white pepper
Salt as needed (depending on how salty your broth is)

Instructions:
Before you begin, have all ingredients measured out. Risotto needs attention once you start cooking it. In a medium heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the olive oil and once hot, add the bacon. Cook the bacon five minutes until almost crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the salami and cook only 1-2 minutes to slightly crisp, being careful not to burn. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bacon. Pour the fat into a bowl and wipe the inside of the hot pan with a wad of paper towels to pick up and dark pieces or sediment. Heat the stock in a separate small sauce pan and keep hot. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat and measure in two tablespoons of the bacon fat along with the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and cook three minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook one minute then add the rice and cook for two minutes. Add the wine and once the wine evaporates, reduce the heat to medium low and start adding hot chicken stock one half cup at a time, making sure that each addition gets absorbed in before adding more. After about 15-20 minutes, all of the stock should be in and absorbed. Cover the pot and remove from heat and let sit five minutes. While the rice sits, in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and heavy cream. After the rice sat for five minutes, scoop out spoonfuls of the rice and whisk into the cream and egg mixture to temper the eggs. After adding a cup or so, stir this mixture back into the rice pot. Off heat add in the reserved cooked bacon and salami, the Parmesan and Romano cheese, the chopped Italian parsley and the white pepper. Taste and add only enough salt to season the rice. The bacon and salami are salty and your stock may be salty, so you may not need any additional salt. Stir and serve and if it gets too thick, loosen with additional stock or water.

Please follow & like us: