Risotto con Pancetta, Vino Rosso, e Radicchio

from Loukie Werle's Italian Country Cooking

Have I told you how much I love this cookbook? Oh, really? Only about 100 times, you say? Well, I'm saying it again. I love this cookbook. The recipes are what I think of when I think of Italian food, the ingredient list is short and simple, the dishes are unique, and every recipe turns out great.

That being said, I actually tried this recipe a few weeks back, and failed. That's not the recipe's fault, though. I bought some black rice at Eataly while we were in New York, and even though it was called "risotto", it was clearly not the right kind. Oh my Lord. It just would not cook. I mean, I seriously cooked it for like four hours, and it was still crunchy and undone.

So maybe it's a testament to how good this recipe really is, that we still saw promise in it, and decided to give it another shot, this time with good ole fashioned Arborio. Lo and behold, a wonderful dish. What's fun about it is that it's the usual risotto recipe and flavor, but everything is, I don't know...darker and heartier. Instead of white onion, you use red. Instead of white wine, red. Radicchio, pancetta...just a lot of red, I guess. I loved it.

1.5 tbsp olive oil
1/3 lb pancetta, cut into pea-sized cubes
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups risotto rice (Arborio, for example)
2 cups dry red wine
1 large radicchio, quartered and thinly sliced into ribbons
4-5 cups chicken broth (beef would work, too), simmering
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Hot pepper, optional (we added a pinch of Naga Jolokia flakes with the pancetta, but that's just us)

Combine the oil and pancetta in a large, heavy-based pan. Saute over medium heat until browning and slightly crisp, with the fat starting to run, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft, about another five minutes or so. Add the garlic and stir a minute more.

Add the rice and stir a few minutes to coat. Add the wine and stir until it's been absorbed, about 5-8 minutes. Add the radicchio and ladleful of the simmering stock, and stir until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock in this manner until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes. If the stock runs out before the rice is cooked, continue using simmering water.

When the rice is done, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan. Let it stand, covered, for three minutes before serving. Soooooo good.