Risi e Bisi

This recipe is from Comfort Foods, a compendium of all things homey. I adapted the recipe by first frying up the pancetta, draining, pouring off some of the fat, and then proceeding with the onion. I reintroduced the pancetta in the last five minutes of cooking. This ensured a crisp pancetta, which is the way that I prefer. But listed below is the unadapted recipe.

Serves 4-6

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 oz. pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 1/2 cups shelled young peas (frozen is fine)
1 cup risotto rice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put the stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then maintain a simmer. Heat the oil and half of the butter in a large saucepan. Cook onion and pancetta over low heat for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the parsley, peas, and 2 ladlefuls of stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the rice and remaining stock. Simmer until rice is al dente, and most of the stock has been absorbed. About 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter and parmesan cheese, season, and serve.

Note: This dish will continue to absorb stock, so any leftovers should be stored separately from a bit of leftover stock, then reheated, and brought back to a soupy consistency.