I’ll be honest, if you said to me a couple of years ago that I would be writing a blog post containing a recipe I would have laughed so hard and rattled off a line about how there is more chance of the Spice Girls asking me to join them for a reunion tour. Flash forward a couple of years and here I am typing away after consuming a delicious risotto. You see, I only started cooking towards the end of 2012 after finding myself in a position where I needed to at work. My Mum has never been into cooking and when we moved home in 2005, the new place didn’t come with an oven and we happily left our old one behind. We ate out or ordered take out most days and if we fancied a change we would devour a micro meal. We didn’t really use the oven when we did have it (it actually was from the 1970’s and didn’t warrant an upgrade due to it’s under usage), and Mum seldom made anything from scratch. My Grandad used to cook everyday and provided our small family with a huge roast dinner every Sunday. He also used to make steak pies from scratch, but I used to prefer to watch and eat rather than contribute, so when I found myself in a situation where I needed to learn to cook, Google became my best friend. Google and I enjoyed many meals together from sausages to Japanese curries. Google provided the answer to pretty much all of my cooking questions. I don’t know what I would have done without it! I also began to watch Jamie Oliver shows to pick up tips. By the time we moved into our own place, I was ready to cook for us every evening without us finding ourselves in a&e. Anyway, here is what I served us for lunch today…
Bacon and leek risotto!
You can’t go wrong with an Italian dish. Simple, yet full of flavour, Italian food is often also quite quick to prepare and cook. Handy if you don’t have an abundance of time (who does?!). This recipe is one of my favourites as it is quick, easy and tasty. It’s my own take on a bacon risotto, perfect for a lunch.
From prep to plate in under thirty minutes, it’s a great choice for everyone.
This recipe will serve 2-4 people depending on how generous you like your portions!
What you will need:
- Bacon – I use eight rashers
- Mushrooms – I use approx 225g of button ones
- One large leek
- Grated cheese
- Risotto rice – approx 350g
- Water – approx 2 pints
- One chicken stock cube
- Garlic
- Mixed herbs
- Black pepper
How to cook it:
- Set your grill to 240 degrees and grill your bacon until it is just how you like it. I like it a little crispy, but not too much.
- For quickness, I always boil the kettle whilst preparing the other ingredients.
- Put your risotto rice into a saucepan.
- Add the garlic, crushed stock cube and mixed herbs.
- Pour approximately two pints of boiled water over your risotto rice and give it a stir.
- Chop your leek and mushrooms and add those to the risotto saucepan.
- Give it a good stir and leave it to cook on a medium heat for a few minutes.
- Take the bacon out from the grill and chop it into pieces of your own desire (I like mine quite chunky!) and add to risotto.
- Keep stirring and allow the rice to absorb all of the water until it is full and tender.
- Stir in a handful of grated cheese (I use either cheddar or mozzarella).
- Serve and enjoy!
What recipes do you find quick and easy?
L x
lulubellelife 