Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

So this was really good. Both D and I enjoyed it and it was pretty easy to make (I watched and put away stuff).

I couldn't find oyster mushrooms, so I bought beech mushrooms. I could tell the texture but couldn't taste. Same with the Shitake. So next time, I would either just use cremini or mix cremini and Shitake.

D uses a little more than 1 cup of rice because he had a lot of liquid...but he didn't measure.

We had with spinach salad.

Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

Crisp bacon brings crunchy texture and smoky flavor to the dish.
Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups risotto and about 1 tablespoon bacon)

4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (used store bought low-fat chicken broth)
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (used 1/4 tsp dry thyme)
4 garlic cloves, minced (used 6)
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (used 6oz)
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (used 3.5oz)
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced (used 2.5 oz beech mushrooms)
1 cup uncooked Carnaroli or Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
1/3 cup Madeira wine or dry sherry
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese (used Italian 6-Cheese Blend)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring Homemade Chicken Stock to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to drippings in 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 Madeira; 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 cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon.

Wine note: A light-bodied pinot noir can echo the smoky and earthy flavors of Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach, without overpowering the dish as a bigger red wine might. Redtree Pinot Noir 2008 ($8), from California, shows this grape's aromatic earthiness, along with snappy, tart berry fruit that provides a palate-cleansing contrast to the creamy texture of this dish. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

CALORIES 405 ; FAT 19.1g (sat 6.6g,mono 8.4g,poly 2g); CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 145mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.6g; SODIUM 555mg; PROTEIN 16.5g; FIBER 3.5g; IRON 2.4mg

Cooking Light, MAY 2010