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Ok before you say anything, I know the last recipe I did was one of Giada’s as well, but the thing is, I had leftover pancetta from the biscuits and saw an opportunity to use it up, so I took it.  I decided to make Giada De Laurentiis’ Dirty Risotto from the August 23rd episode. 

Weekly recipe attempt: Dirty Risotto

I took a certain amount of liberty with this recipe.  Giada’s called for Italian sausage, but I don’t like sausage.  I was willing to give it a try, until I saw how much it was in the grocery store.  It wasn’t that expensive, but you only needed one in this recipe but they come 5 to a pack.  I wouldn’t eat the other 4, so it would be a waste of money for me.  To compensate for the lack of spiciness without the sausage, I added some red pepper flakes and a couple of dashes of hot sauce, which I feel worked out best in my opinion.  If you like sausage, by all means use it.  My version didn’t have as much depth as it was supposed to, but it was delicious nonetheless.

I had never made risotto before.  Honestly, I was a little nervous.  It wasn’t the kind of dish you could put on the stove and walk away from.  You have to watch it and stir it constantly.  It was a little more work than I was used to, but it was necessary and a little relaxing after a while.  Pour the broth.  Stir the rice.  Watch the bubbles.  Pour the broth.  Stir the rice.  Watch the bubbles.  I did that for half an hour.  The time and effort paid off.  I made a good batch of risotto, although I think I should of stopped at 4 and a half cups of broth as opposed to 5.  It was a little too creamy, but still delicious.  I give this one an 8 out of 10.  If you like sausage, perhaps the original version of the risotto witll give it a 9 or a 10.  Definitly try this one.  Risotto isn’t as hard as it looks.