Risotto allo Stout

    

         Recently I had the pleasure of being able to test a recipe submitted in a contest for best parmesan recipe. As I love cheese and I love risotto I thought this sounded fascinating. I would have never thought of using a beer in making risotto. Usually I use white wine in this dish but beer intrigued me.  I mentioned a short while ago I wanted to experiment with more recipes that contained alcohol and this dish was a perfect opportunity. Let's just say this dish has opened my eyes to the possibilities of other risotto dishes I will be making in the future. I have already thought up a recipe and will share it at a later date when I test it out. I can't wait to see if it works as well as this one. Anyway, back to the recipe.
      This risotto was creamy, rich, decadent, definitely worth the calories deliciousness. The pancetta in it worked perfectly adding not only a meatiness to it as well as bit of saltiness. If I had a suggestion with this recipe, it would be to cook the pancetta until crispy, removing it, and then adding it back at the end to add another texture to it. This way you have a little bit of crunchiness to go with the creaminess of this dish. Or another way to add another dimension to this dish is to add some fresh, crispy vegetables. With or without these suggestions it was delectable. I definitely will make it again the future but with a twist. The Guinness added intensity to it and I can't decide if it was slightly bitter or if it was a little nutty. Either way it was good. The hubby approved of this dish and said he would definitely eat it again in the future. I hope you give it a try.

 

Risotto allo Stout

 

recipe by Mrs. Larkin

 

Ingredients

 

1. 2 T butter
2. 1/2 c diced onions
3. 1 c Arborio rice
4. 1/2 c pancetta
5. 1/2 c Guinness Extra Stout
6. 2 1/2 c hot chicken stock
7. 1 c grated parmesan cheese and a little extra for topping
8. 1 sage leaf
9. pinch of nutmeg
10. 1/4 c heavy cream
11. salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

 

 

Directions

 

• In medium pot melt butter over medium heat and then add the pancetta and cook until brown

 

 

• Add the onions and cook until translucent but do not brown

 

• Add the rice and stir to coat in onion/pancetta mixture

 

• Add the Guinness and cook until almost absorbed

 

• In half cup increments add the stock and cook until broth is absorbed. Do this until all broth is absorbed and rice is tender.

 

• Add the cheese, nutmeg, and sage and then remove from heat and add the cream

 

• Top with black pepper and more parmesan cheese if desired
• Enjoy

 

 

      This is a dish you could not eat everyday but definitely would be a good dish to serve at a dinner party or a special occasion. I also think it would make an excellent side dish paired with a lean meat as to not add to the heaviness of the dish. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my hubby and I did. I will talk to you soon.