Leek and bacon risotto

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Meat mains

Leek and bacon risotto

Main Serves 2 40 min
A simple, undemanding dinner, this comforting risotto can easily by made for vegetarians without the bacon. A warm bowl of it is good on its own, or with a bitter leaf salad, or topped with a runny-yolked fried or poached egg. It works especially well with winter leeks, as their taste is strongest. And if you've got any leftover cooked chicken or a handful of mushrooms to throw in, that's all to the good.

Ingredients

  • 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 150g Arborio rice
  • 100ml white wine
  • 700ml hot veg bouillon stock
  • 25g butter
  • 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
  • 4 rashers streaky bacon, diced and fried until crispy
  • 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 35 min

  • Step 1

    Gently sweat the leeks and garlic together in some olive oil until soft for around 10 minutes. Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the wine.

  • Step 2

    Turn up the heat and let the liquid bubble until nearly disappeared. Now add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time; stir the rice until the stock has been absorbed before adding the next ladleful.

  • Step 3

    It is ready when the rice is creamy and cooked with a slight bite. Beat in the butter and Parmesan to your taste. Stir in the bacon, season and tweak with a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

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