When you’re in the mountains, you can throw dietary rules out the window. If you were expecting a Lent-friendly recipe… you’ll need to look elsewhere. Sorry!
For 4 mountain dwellers
- 300g Arborio rice
- 30g dried morels
- 1/2 Reblochon cheese
- 1/2 onion
- 4 thin slices of smoked bacon
- 1 glass of white wine (150ml)
The first step is to rehydrate the morels. Place them in a bowl of warm water, rinse once, then again, repeating until the impurities are no longer visible in the mushroom water.
If you’re lucky enough (or if you’re rich enough to afford them – no judgment!) to have fresh morels, you can skip this step. Just remove any dirt from the stems.
Trim the bacon slices (remove the rind and cartilage) and grill them in a pan until crispy. Set them aside on some paper towels to drain.
Roughly chop the half onion and sauté it in the same pan until golden. Once slightly browned, add the roughly chopped morels. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the peeled and diced Reblochon cheese. Let the Reblochon melt over low heat, stirring occasionally while you prepare the rice. Add half the glass of white wine midway through cooking.
While the cheese mixture is melting, prepare the risotto base. In a saucepan, lightly toast the Arborio rice in a bit of olive oil. Deglaze with the remaining half glass of white wine, stirring the rice gently. Gradually add water (or vegetable stock, if you have some) to cook the risotto, adding liquid little by little over 12-15 minutes.
When the rice is firm but no longer crunchy, incorporate the morel and Reblochon mixture. Gently fold it in to maintain a creamy texture.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot in bowls, topped with a crispy slice of grilled bacon.
