Risotto carbonara, the mythical pasta sauce in a creamy rice dish
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Total: 35 min Diners: 4
Perhaps spaghetti carbonara is one of the most popular recipes in and out of Italy. The people of Lazio boast about it, although, in fact, the first information about it was found in a magazine on the other side of the pond: in the United States! But the Italians have been able to give hype to one of the most desecrated recipes as well.
Who has not eaten a carbonara sauce with cream? Or with bacon and all its smoky point? I must confess that this is how my mother has made it all my life and that her sauce is absolutely delicious; even if it is not a real carbonara. Because the one that any Italian would defend has egg yolk, pecorino cheese and guanciale; lots of black pepper and little else. It’s not easy to find that cut of pork in Spain but it is possible to buy cured jowl and, in the end, it’s remarkably similar.
In this case, I try to transfer all the flavors of carbonara to an Italian rice dish, the mythical risotto. Because it’s all very well to make the mushroom risotto that so many of us love but you have to open the range. So to zucchini risotto, Joselito ham and asparagus risotto, bacon and carrot risotto or risotto a la Milanese we add today risotto a la carbonara. To make it, the first thing to do is to brown the guanciale and use all its fat to cook the chopped shallots. Then we will have to incorporate the rice, add the wine and finish cooking with chicken broth or water.
I like to make a mixture of both so that the rice does not have a predominant flavor over the egg yolk, guanciale or cheese. The egg yolk, the problem we have is that if we incorporate it into the rice it would curdle and become a kind of omelet. It is important to use quality cheese and also a good broth and, of course, respect the cooking point: a risotto can not be put inside a ring; it has to be creamy, served on a plate with a little background.
How to make a carbonara risotto
Ingredients
. Carnaroli rice, 320 g Butter, 140 g Cured jowl, 200 g Shallot, 3 pc White wine, 1/2 glass Grated pecorino cheese, 50 g Grated Parmesan cheese, 70 g Chicken broth or water, 1 liter Egg yolk, 8 pc Salt, c/s Ground black pepper, c/s
Step 1
Trout the jowl, either in thin strips or in small squares. Sauté, without oil or butter, over a cheerful heat until it starts to brown nicely. When browned and crispy set aside and lower the heat.
Step 2
Peel the shallots and chop them very small. Add the shallots to the fat that the jowl has released and also incorporate part of the butter, leaving a third part to butter the risotto at the end. Poach with a little salt until the shallots are very tender but do not brown.
Step 3
Incorporate the rice and also three quarters of the crispy jowl. Mix everything well and soak with the wine, stirring.
Step 4
Add the hot broth. You can add all the broth at once, but I like to add 2/3 of the broth and cook while stirring well, and then add the other third at the end. The rice will have to cook for about 17 minutes in total. Over medium heat, do not overcook but do not overcook either. If the risotto is too dry, add a little more stock or water.
Step 5
Salt and add plenty of black pepper. While the rice is cooking, mix the egg yolk with the grated cheeses, leaving 40 g of Parmesan cheese unincorporated.
Step 6
When the risotto is ready, add the butter and the reserved cheese and mix well. It should be loose, creamy and very tasty.
Step 7
Place the risotto carbonara on top, finishing with the yolk and cheese cream, abundant, and with the rest of the crispy jowl. If desired, add more grated cheese on top.
