2 rashers Carmarthen Deli Welsh Air Dried Streaky Bacon, finely diced
50-75g Caws Teifi Heritage (extra mature) cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt (PDO), to taste
For the pea and garlic purée
approx. 1.5 litres light vegetable or chicken stock
125g frozen peas
8-10 wild garlic leaves, roughly shredded (see Cook’s notes)
For the Truffalo oil
3-4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2tsp Chilli of the Valley The Truffalo sauce (see Cook’s notes)
For the bacon shards
6-8 rashers Carmarthen Deli Welsh Air Dried Streaky Bacon
Method
For the purée, put the stock in a pan and bring to the boil. Fill a large bowl with very cold water and set aside. Add the peas to the boiling stock and cook for 1 minute, then add the wild garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Using a slotted spoon, lift the peas and wild garlic out and immediately plunge them into the cold water to stop the cooking and set the colour, then set aside. Set the pan with the stock aside.
To make the Truffalo oil, in a small bowl or jug, whisk together the olive oil and Truffalo sauce, and season. Set aside.
For the bacon shards, preheat the oven to 190C/170C F/Gas 5. Line a baking sheet or swiss roll tin with foil and place a wire rack on it. On a chopping board, stretch each rasher of bacon out with the flat of a knife to make it thinner. Lay the bacon out on the wire rack, in one line with no overlaps. Lay another wire rack face-down on top of the bacon. Cook in the oven for around 10-20 minutes, depending on how thick the bacon is and how crisp you want it. Remove and lay on kitchen paper, then break or cut into shards.
To make the risotto, bring the stock back to a bare simmer, half covered with a lid. Melt half the butter in a large, heavy pan and, when foaming, add the onion. Cook gently for at least 10 minutes until soft, golden and translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. Pour in the wine and boil fiercely until it has reduced and almost disappeared – this will remove the raw alcohol taste. Add the diced bacon and cook for a couple of minutes until cooked but not brown.
Begin adding the stock to the risotto pan, a large ladleful at a time, stirring gently until each ladleful has almost been absorbed by the rice. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more stock as necessary. Continue for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains are still firm. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter and the cheese. Cover and allow to rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax and the cheese melts.
Drain the peas and wild garlic and, using a stick blender, blend into a rough purée. Stir the purée into the risotto, taste and season with salt and pepper. Re-whisk the Truffalo oil. Serve the risotto in warm bowls with a pile of crispy bacon shards on top and a drizzle of oil on the surface.
COOK’S NOTES
The Truffalo sauce is very hot – so taste to check before adding the full quantity. If wild garlic isn’t available, replace with a large handful of washed spinach cooked with a little garlic. You may want to add a little more hot stock or water to loosen the risotto just before you serve it, but don’t let the risotto wait around too long or the rice will turn mushy.
Recipes by Maxine Clark, food styling by Lizzie Harris, Photography by Peter Cassidy, props styling by Angela Dukes
