There’s nothing quite like a creamy risotto. Making it the traditional way however, is terribly time-consuming. That is not the case with this easy oven risotto. Just sit back and relax while the oven does all the hard work. The perfect recipe to make after a long busy day.
Risotto is a rice dish from northern Italy and there are lot of regional variations. Risotto can therefore be a meat, fish or vegetable dish. All risottos have a couple of things in common however. Firstly, the rice is always cooked in a broth. Secondly the types of rice used are all short- to medium-grain in size and have a high starch content. It’s the starch in the rice that gives risotto its trademark creamy consistency.
There is quite a list of varieties of rice that are suitable for making risotto, like Baldo, Calriso, Carnaroli, Maratelli, Padano, Roma, and Vialone Nano. But the type most often sold as “risotto rice” is Arborio. Which is also the only type I can easily find in the shops, so that’s what I used in this recipe.
The traditional way of cooking risotto is by first briefly cooking the rice in butter or olive oil. When all the grains have a nice coating of fat, you have to add the hot stock. This is done one ladle at a time. Meanwhile the mixture is stirred constantly. This loosens the starch and turns the stock into a creamy liquid. The downside of this whole procedure, is of course that it’s very labour-intensive. While I love risotto made the traditional way, on an ordinary weekday I just don’t have the patience for it. So I figured there had to be an easier way to do it.
Personally, I find the laziest way to cook is, by far, to use the oven. You can put your feet up and relax, while the oven does all the cooking. No endless stirring needed for this easy oven risotto.
Prep Time | 3o minutes |
Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Servings |
|
- 300 g bacon
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 500 g mushrooms
- 300 g risotto rice I used Arborio rice
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 litre chicken stock
Ingredients
|
|
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bring the chicken stock to the boil.
- Meanwhile cut the bacon into small cubes. Cook them in a dry pan until crisp. Then remove them from the pan and let them drain on a piece of kitchen towel.
- Finely slice the onion and garlic. Cook them in a little bit of oil until the onion turns translucent.
- Cut the mushrooms into slices and add them to the pan. Let them reduce a little bit before adding the rice.
- Stir the mixture well. When all the grains are coated in a film of fat, add the bacon, thyme and stock.
- Give it all a final stir, put the lid on the pan and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve the risotto with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.
Leave a Reply