Pea and Pancetta Risotto

Sweet, salty, and creamy — that’s what you’ll get in every bite of this Pea and Pancetta Risotto.  And don’t forget the crunchy pancetta bits in there!  Yum!

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I don’t know about you, but the sweet-and-salty combo is always a winner for me.

Add some creamy but still firm rice in there, and it’s already an excellent weeknight dinner — no need to prepare anything else.

Oh, wait, all that’s missing is a glass of wine. 😉

IF YOU WANT TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPES, THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!

Ingredients

• Pancetta – chopped into small, thin bits.

• Olive oil – use extra virgin olive oil, if possible.

• Onion – yellow onion and chopped finely.

• Rice – I use carnaroli rice for this pancetta risotto recipe, but you can also use arborio if that’s what you have on hand.

• Wine – any dry white will be good.

• Peas – as you can see from the image above, I use frozen peas for this recipe.

• Butter – salted or unsalted would work, but should be chilled.

• Parmigiano Reggiano – you need to grate it to add on the last stage of cooking and then for serving.

• Stock – I generally use chicken stock for making pancetta risotto.

Preparation

Start your pancetta risotto by placing your stock in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat (photo 1).

Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and continue simmering.

While waiting for it to boil, place a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the chopped pancetta into the cold skillet (photo 2).

Cook until the pancetta turns brown and slightly crispy on the edges.

Remove the browned pancetta from the pan and set it aside.

Using the same pan, add the olive oil.

Once the oil is ready, add the onion (photo 3).

Cook the onion until it turns soft.

Add the rice (photo 4).

Cook the rice for about one to two minutes, constantly mixing, to make sure they’re coated with oil.

Pour the white wine (photo 5).

Let the wine evaporate until there is only a tiny amount of liquid left in the pan.

Pour two ladles of the simmering stock (photo 6).

Continue stirring the rice until the stock has been fully absorbed.

Pour another ladle of stock and keep repeating for about eight minutes.

Add the peas (photo 7).

Mix to combine and continue with adding the stock for ten more minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning of your pancetta risotto.

Take the pan off the heat.

Add butter, grated cheese, and the browned pancetta (photo 8).

Mix to combine, place a lid, and keep it covered for one to two minutes.

Transfer your pancetta risotto into plates.

Serve, with more grated parmigiano Reggiano, if desired.

Helpful tips

• When adding the olive oil, you can add more or less than what I have indicated in this recipe — it will all depend on how much is produced by frying the pancetta.

The critical thing is that the oil should be enough to coat both the chopped onion and the rice.

• Make sure there’s still a bit of liquid in the rice when you take it off the heat.  

Remember that you will still be adding the butter, cheese, and pancetta bits — the cooking process is still not finished.

• Depending on whether you are using seasoned stock or not, you will need to add salt to your risotto.  Hence, taste and adjust the seasoning as per your preference.

For reference, I rarely add salt because my chicken stock is already seasoned; plus, there’s the extra salt from the pancetta and parmigiano Reggiano.

Recipe variation

• Butter.  Some people use butter instead of olive oil or a mix of butter and olive oil to saute the onion. 

• Fresh or canned peas.  For sure, fresh peas will be noticeably sweeter than frozen or canned ones.  So, if you have them, do not even hesitate to use them.

• Stock. Vegetable stock is a good substitute for chicken stock in this pea and pancetta risotto recipe.

• Stracchino cheese.  You want a creamier risotto?  Add some stracchino cheese in there!

That was easy, right?  Give this pancetta risotto recipe a try this week, and let me know. 🙂