Creamy risotto with red endive, crispy bacon and cream cheese
A comforting recipe that delights every diner: a creamy risotto with just the right touch of bitterness from the red endive, the salty and crispy tang of the bacon, and the enveloping smoothness of Philadelphia-style cream cheese.
Ingredients · Servings 2
- 160g of round rice (preferably Arborio or Carnaroli)
- 1/2 red onion
- 60 g de bacon (o speck)
- 40g of dry white wine
- Vegetable broth (preferably homemade, or prepared with a stock cube dissolved in hot water)
- 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
- 1/2 onion (small)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Butter
- Salt (amount to taste)
- Pepper (amount to taste)
Method · 30 min
- Prepare the vegetable broth and keep it warm (if you don't have time, you can use a bouillon cube dissolved in water). Wash the endive well and cut it into thin strips.
- Sauté the finely chopped onion in a pan with a little olive oil and a knob of butter. Add the endive and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes, stirring so it doesn't stick. Then pour in the white wine and let it evaporate completely.
- Once the wine has evaporated, begin cooking the rice by adding a tablespoon of hot stock at a time. Wait for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.
- Cut the bacon into thin strips. When the rice is almost cooked, add half the bacon to the pan and mix well. Adjust the salt if necessary.
- Meanwhile, brown the other half of the bacon in a non-stick pan until nice and crispy and set it aside for the final decoration.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in two tablespoons of Philadelphia-style cream cheese, stirring vigorously until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous texture.
- Serve the risotto in deep bowls, add the reserved crispy bacon on top and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
