I love risottos, especially in winter. They’re my kind of comfort food for cold days and they are easy and quick to prepare. A delicious dish prepared in less than 20 minutes. This time I am suggesting this risotto with artichokes and pancetta, a typical recipe from Siena (Tuscany). Previously on other posts, I wrote other risotto recipes such as taleggio cheese and speck or one with pumpkin.

And as artichokes are in season, I thought there was no better moment to prepare it! I have to confess I love artichokes so much that when I see them at the market, I buy them immediately. While I was living in Italy, I tried different recipes we don’t cook in Spain, as alla giudia (typical in Rome) or as a tigelle filling (in Bologna).

In the first preparation, Italian fry them deeply in olive oil until crunchy. With tigelle they keep the veggies in a jar with the extra virgin to use later in this delicious bread.

INGREDIENTS for two people

160 gr (¾ cups + 2 tbsp) Carnaroli rice

75 gr (⅓ cup) pancetta

1 liter (4 ½ cups) homemade vegetable broth

50 gr (⅓ cup) unsalted butter

4 artichokes

1 small shallot

The juice of a lemon (for the artichokes)

White pepper and salt to taste

Grana Padano grated to taste

METHOD

Let’s start by cleaning the artichokes well. Remove the hardest leaves around and with a knife cut the tips. put them into a bowl with water and lemon juice and leave them there for about an hour. Cut the pancetta in strips and set aside. Bring the vegetable stock to a gentle simmer.

In a pan, toast the rice and set aside. In another pan fry the pancetta until it has released all its fat, and then add the shallot and sauté it. Add the rice and then enough stock to cover it. Stir constantly at high heat for exactly 18 minutes.  Add stock when needed to prevent the risotto from drying.

At the minute 12th add the artichokes previously cut into pieces. At the 18th minute turn off the heat. At this moment the rice will look slightly creamy. Now it’s the time to butter the risotto, so add the pancetta and the black pepper and Grana Padano to taste.

Mix well again and leave it to stand for 5 minutes. During this time stir the risotto twice. You will finally have a creamy risotto.

Decore with parsley and more black pepper and serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

Photography & Stylism: Carlota Fariña

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