Cringey Kitchen

Gluten free, dairy free things in the shape of food

Apple Bacon Risotto

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As some of you may know from my pork belly onigiri recipe, I’m a fan of Food Wars (Shokugeki No Soma). It’s a cooking anime about a teenager battling his way to be the top chef of a prestigious cooking academy. This Apple Bacon Risotto recipe was inspired by a dish made on the show!

Instead of adding olive oil, we used the rendered fat from the bacon to saute our onions. We like to utilize the bacon fat because it’s full of flavor. The bacon is only stirred in at the end, so using the bacon fat helps infuse more of the bacon flavor into the rice.

We used a gala apple for our risotto, but you can use other varieties of apples. You want a sweet, crisp apple. The crisper apples will hold their shape during the cooking process and the crunch brings a nice contrast in texture to the soft risotto.

If you decide to make the scallops, make sure the pan is heated up before adding the scallops. You also don’t want to move your scallops once you put them on the pan because if you keep moving them they won’t get a nice sear.

Keep your apples in your risotto, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T

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Apple Bacon Risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 3 slices thick cut bacon diced
  • ½ small onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ cup arborio rice
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup vegetable broth divided
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup apple juice divided
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ apple diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 6 Scallops optional

Instructions

  1. Heat up a straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon to the skillet and cook until it starts to crisp up. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
  2. Add the onion to skillet and saute until slightly translucent, then add garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Add the rice to the pan and saute for a minute, before adding in the wine. Let the wine simmer until absorbed.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of broth and the butter, lower heat and let simmer.
  5. Stir the rice frequently, add in ½ cup apple juice. Alternate adding remaining broth and juice. Make sure the rice absorbs all the liquid before adding more. Add the lemon juice and diced apple with the last ½ cup of liquid.
  6. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Stir bacon back in and serve.
  7. For seared scallops (optional), pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat cast iron over medium high heat. Sear scallops for 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve on top of risotto.