Risotto Carbonara
This risotto carbonara builds upon the rich, savory, and salty flavors of the beloved classic Italian pasta dish, transforming them into an easy-to-make risotto.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks whites discarded
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese loose cup freshly grated
- 4-6 oz cubed guanciale
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 4-5 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Place the chicken broth on the stove on low heat to keep warm.
- Mix the egg yolks and freshly grated PecorinoRomano cheese in a small bowl. Slowly add 3 tablespoons of chicken broth, one tablespoon at a time, mixing between additions to create a paste. Place on the side for later.
- Place your pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the diced guanciale and render it down for 5-6 minutes. Mix every minute or so. When the guanciale is crispy and deep in color remove it from the pan.
- Remove and discard all but 2 tbsp of the fat from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add in the shallots and garlic and a heavy pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they are soft and fragrant, but not brown.
- Add the arborio rice and mix to combine. Toast rice for 3-4 minutes until it starts to become translucent.
- Add the first round of broth. Depending on the pan add broth until it just covers the risotto. (could be 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups). Give it a quick mix, a shake of the pan to ensure all grains are covered and cook until rice absorbs the majority of the broth. Mix 2-3 times each round of broth. Don't worry if you mix more. It terms of seasoning after the first round taste it (avoiding the rice), if it needs salt start with a heavy pinch (1/4 tsp) and go from there.
- Add more broth and repeat above steps. This recipe calls between 4-5 cups of broth. If you notice that it is perfectly cooked at 4, don't add more. This part of the recipe really takes intuition and feeling, if the rice is still hard or hard for your liking then add more little by little.
- Once all broth has been added, but not completely absorbed (approx. 18 minutes of cooking) give it a taste. The rice should be loose, yet al dente. If the rice has too much of a bite add more broth, about 1/4 cup at a time.
- Once al dente turn off the heat. In 3 parts add the egg and cheese paste and vigorously mix in between adds. If done right the risotto will be creamy and smooth, all the cheese should have melted and the egg should be emulsified into the sauce (ie. not clumpy or dry).
- Serve the risotto carbonara immediately in a bowl topped with a generous amount of guanciale and extra grated cheese.