Pancetta And Leek Risotto For Two Recipes

LEEK RISOTTO WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a large, wide saucepan, and add the pancetta slices. (It's OK if they're not in one layer, as they will shrink quite a bit.) Turn heat to medium and cook, turning and rearranging the pancetta until lightly browned, crisp, and the fat has rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pan.
• Add the stock and 1 cup water to a separate medium saucepan. Transfer the saucepan to a back burner and bring to a simmer over low. Keep warm on the lowest heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan that you cooked the pancetta in, and add the leeks, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high until wilted and soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring, until grains look slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until nearly absorbed, about 1 minute.
• Add a ladleful of stock to the rice - you want just enough to barely cover the surface of the rice. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring very frequently, until it's nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue adding stock in this way until rice is very creamy, but still al dente, 15 to 20 minutes total. You may not need all of the liquid, but you will probably use most of it.
• Stir in the butter and cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the snap peas. Add more of the remaining liquid if needed to loosen (it should be a bit soupy), and divide among four shallow bowls. Crumble the reserved pancetta over top, and sprinkle with chives, if desired.

LEEK, PANCETTA AND PORCINI RISOTTO WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Combine parsley, dill, coriander, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl and puree in an immersion blender until smooth. Put the puree aside.
• Sauté pancetta in a heavy-bottom pan for 6-8 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic, sauté for another 5 minutes or so.
• Add leeks and porcini mushrooms. Cook for another 15 minutes.
• Stir in rice, cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add wine, stir until absorbed.
• Add mushroom liquid and chicken stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stir constantly until almost completely absorbed before adding more.
• When all stock is absorbed (or when rice is tender but firm to the bite), remove from the heat.
• Stir in grated parmigiano and the herbs puree. Season with salt and pepper.

LEEK RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, lidded frying pan or heavy-based saucepan set over a medium heat. Tip in the 80g leeks and fry for 5-8 mins until golden, to create a straw-like appearance. Remove from the pan, leaving the oil behind, and set aside. (You could skip this step and simply slice all the leeks to add in step 2, but the strips make a nice garnish to top the risotto.)
• Drizzle the remaining oil into the pan over a low-medium heat and add 25g of the butter, stirring until the butter has melted. Tip in the celery, carrots and sliced leek. Stir well, then reduce the heat to low and put the lid on. Fry for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally until the celery, carrots and leeks have softened. Add the rice and stir to coat in the buttery veg, then turn the heat up to medium and cook for 2 mins until the rice turns translucent. Pour in the white wine, stir and cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Season well.
• Add in a ladleful of the hot stock and stir until it has been completely absorbed. Pour in another ladleful, stir again while the rice absorbs it, and repeat until all the stock has been used up and the rice is al dente - this should take about 20 mins. If you run out of stock, you can either make up a little more or use boiling water from the kettle. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheese and remaining butter. Ladle into bowls or onto plates, grate over some extra parmesan, and scatter over the fried leek strips. Serve straightaway.