Artichoke Risotto with Crispy Bacon

Name: Artichoke Risotto with Crispy Bacon
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Carnaroli rice 1 ½ cup; Artichokes 1.1 lbs; Pancetta tesa 2.8 oz; Amaro liqueur 1 oz; Vegetable broth 4 ¼ cups; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; White wine 1 ½ tbsp; Butter 3 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.5 oz

it fr es de br

Gluten Free

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Artichoke risotto is like bringing a taste of Northern Italy straight to your table. Really! Especially with crispy pancetta in the mix. In regions like Lombardy and Piedmont, this kind of risotto recipe is all about local flavors and nailing those textures. People usually hunt down the best artichokes—spiny, Romanesco, or those pretty violet ones—whatever’s freshest, you know? What you really really want are the tender hearts. That's where all the goodness hides.

The artichokes have this aromatic bitterness. It’s just enough to wake up your taste buds—not too strong, not too weak. And the crispy pancetta (the tesa kind is a fave) gets tossed in at the end. So you get these pops of golden crunch with the creamy rice. That combo of crispy pork and moist risotto—so so good.

In Northern Italy, there’s a real emphasis on using what’s fresh and seasonal. It shows in every bite of this artichoke risotto recipe. Some folks love sweet pancetta, others go for smoked, but getting it crispy is key. Seriously. Gives you that satisfying crunch. The risotto recipe itself isn’t super complicated. I mean, it asks for patience and detail. But just like any good Italian risotto, every step counts—from picking artichokes to perfecting the rice’s creamy texture.

When everything comes together, you get a pancetta risotto that feels special yet comforting. This dish? Works great for anything from a chill dinner to something a bit fancier. People always go back for seconds. Really. You’ll notice how the tangy artichoke plays off the sweet, salty pancetta. Each bite feels a little different. In the end, you've got a plate that’s simple yet kinda refined—pretty much what Italian home cooking is all about. And, look, can’t go wrong with that.

INGREDIENTS

Carnaroli rice 1 ½ cup (320 g)

Artichokes 1.1 lbs (500 g)

Pancetta tesa 2.8 oz (80 g)

Amaro liqueur 1 oz (30 g)

Vegetable broth 4 ¼ cups (1 l)

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

White wine 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)

For Creaming: Butter 3 tbsp (40 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.5 oz (40 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Artichoke Risotto with Crispy Bacon

To make the artichoke risotto with crispy bacon, first prepare a bowl with water acidulated with lemon drops 1. Clean the artichokes: remove the outer leaves 2 and cut off the tougher tip of the inner ones 3. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the outer and stringy part of the stem.

Cut the artichokes in half and remove the internal "choke," then slice them 4. Place the artichokes in the acidulated water so they won't darken 5. Cut the bacon into strips 6.

In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil 7 and sauté the bacon 8. Add the rice 9 and toast it for a couple of minutes.

Deglaze with the bitter 10 and let the alcohol evaporate. Now continue cooking by gradually adding hot broth until the rice is cooked, which will take 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in another pan, heat a drizzle of oil and add the well-drained artichokes 12.

Salt and pepper 13, deglaze with wine 14 and let it evaporate. Cover with a lid 15 and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the artichokes to the risotto 16, which will have finished cooking, turn off the heat, and cream with grated cheese 17, butter 18

and a drizzle of oil 19. Mix to flavor 20 and serve the risotto very hot 21.

Storage

You can store the artichoke risotto with crispy bacon in the fridge for up to 1 day. Freezing is not recommended.

Advice

You can replace Grana Padano with fossa cheese or pecorino for a stronger taste. You can enrich the risotto by adding melting provola. To add a spicy note to the risotto, you can also use nutmeg. The leftover rice will be even more delicious gratinated in the oven with melting cheese!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.