Pancetta & Brussels Sprouts Risotto

Once again single, I was swiping left and right on dating apps a couple of months ago with a resolution that I will not hide away from the world. They hadn't changed much, just more bells and whistles of being able to call from the apps and video calling. My "beef" with not meeting people in IRL, I will save for another time.

Dating apps can be entertaining or at least question provoking... Profiles with "I have a Tesla" and "## of stamps on the passport" seem cheap and shallow rather than attractive. If a Tesla is what he has to attract women with, then he should just cut to the chase and pay a woman to date him.

"## of stamps on the passport" did intrigue me, but not in that "I want to get to know you better" way. It triggered a flood of questions in my head... Is that the total number of stamps in their lifetime including their expired passports or just the current one? Is that the number of unique stamps/destinations or the overall count? That statement in some ways irked me... I don't want to travel to "collect stamps," but to immerse and enjoy the experience. Can you imagine being with a guy who won't return to Paris because he already collected the stamp on his passport? That relationship simply won't work out for me.

Teslas and passport stamps made me think of how competitive we are... We do things for the sake of "winning" and to be the envy of others. Some of us forget, including myself at times, that life is about making ourselves content. What we have in our own individual spheres doesn't have to match or be more than what other people have in their spheres. And, what other people have in their spheres may not be what we want in our spheres. 

Simple pleasures are often shadowed by the grandeur of excitement. Comfort and familiarity are sometimes abandoned for something new and different. I am learning to embrace being a creature of habit and satisfy my cravings for comfort. Risotto is one of those comfort dishes for me. Simple to make, it certainly is one of those timeless comfort foods. Of all the ingredients to dress up this bowl of comfort, my obsession has been with pancetta and Brussels sprouts.

Pancetta & Brussels Sprouts Risotto served with Salmon

Ingredients matter with food, and the quality of the pancetta and cheese you use to cook this recipe can make or break the flavor so splurge on them! 

INGREDIENTS

a half cup of arborio rice

a half cup of sliced Brussels sprouts

twenty ounces of chicken broth

a third cup of white wine

one and a half ounces of diced pancetta

a quarter cup of freshly grated gruyere

a quarter cup of freshly grated pecorino

an eighth cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

olive oil, enough to drizzle

Pour chicken broth into a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to let it simmer. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Once heated, add diced pancetta. Sauté and adjust heat to medium. Cook for about two to three minutes until they are crisp and then add sliced Brussels sprouts. Mix and sauté until the Brussels sprouts are cooked. Set them aside on a paper-towel layered plate.

Heat a Dutch oven (you can also cook in any thick pot or pan, preferably non-stick) over high heat. Once heated, lightly drizzle the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add arborio rice, reduce heat to medium, and stir to lightly toast the rice for about two minutes. Add white wine and stir once or twice. Add one ladle of chicken broth and stir once or twice until the rice absorbs the liquid. Add another ladle, stir occasionally and repeat until the rice is al dente. 

Once the rice is cooked to al dente, reduce adding one ladle to a half ladle. You may not use all the broth. Once the rice is fully cooked, about 15 to 25 minutes, add a handful of cheeses mixed in a bowl and turn off the heat. Do not remove it from the stove. 

Add set-aside pancetta and Brussels sprouts. Stir and mix as you add more cheeses to your taste. You will have unused cheese, the amount will vary, which you can save to use later to garnish salads and soups. Serve immediately in bowls. Bon Appétit!