Bacon, Mushroom, and Spinach Risotto

This recipe is heavenly. So creamy and flavorful, Trip and I ate the entire amount in one sitting. I made some slight adjustments to the original recipe: I used 8oz. of cremini mushrooms, not 12 oz of three different kinds. I also used store bought low sodium chicken stock, not homemade. I also took out some of the bacon grease, since it seemed like too much (I used another brand of bacon the second time around and there wasn't as much grease, so I guess it depends which brand you have). Finally, I didn't have asiago cheese, so I used parmesan. You'll definitely get an arm workout stirring this for 30 minutes straight, but it's so worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups baby spinach (a couple large handfuls)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, flipping occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. If there is too much grease (should just cover the bottom of the pan), remove. Cut up bacon into bite size pieces.

Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

Stir in sherry; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. 

Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. 

Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). 

Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. 

Remove from heat; stir in bacon, cheese, salt, and pepper. Devour.

Original Recipe:  My Recipes