Italian red cabbage and bacon risotto

Red cabbage and bacon are just made for each other. Add them to the hearty rice and you’ll get an elegant Italian purple risotto

Rice, red cabbage and bacon make a perfect match

Here I am every time, as in that song: “Oops… I did it again”… Only, unlike the singer, I did not play with anyone’s heart and did not give empty promises to anyone. I just bought red cabbage and bacon again, hoping to cook something new and interesting, and as a result, we have purple risotto for lunch again! We love it so much that among all the variety of red cabbage dishes, it always wins – so bright, purple, tender, and with its own character at the same time, hearty and unusual. Bacon adds its very appropriate notes to this rice and cabbage melody and makes the dish even more refined.

It may sound strange, but for me the color of the dish is no less important than its taste. I adore bright food full of color and this purple risotto with red cabbage and bacon is an undeniable comforting culinary hit in our family.

At first glance, it may seem that preparing risotto is a long and complicated task, which requires 100 years of culinary experience and half a day of work in the kitchen.

I’ll make you happy – in fact, this red cabbage risotto is extremely quick and easy to cook. Yes … Italian cuisine is unique not only in the taste of its dishes, but also in the ease of cooking. You need to enjoy life, not spend it in the kitchen. That’s why I adore Italian cuisine.

How to make risotto creamy

The duo of rice and cabbage is delicious, that’s for sure. But if your risotto is not creamy, you risk losing half the fun. So, how do I make my risotto creamy? I don’t have “top secret secrets” in this case. Everything is very easy – use the right type of rice and the job is done! 

If you want to make a creamy red cabbage and bacon risotto, short – grain rice is a must. It contains a higher amount of starch (when you stir your risotto while cooking it, the starch is slowly released into the broth or water and they transform into a delicate creamy sauce that coats the rice). 

What is the best rice for risotto?

My answer is Carnaroli. It will never disappoint you and you will always get the creamiest risotto. 

If you prefer a thicker and softer risotto – Arborio rice is the best choice for you.

Ingredients for red cabbage and bacon risotto

• Red cabbage. You can substitute it with green cabbage as well, but risotto will lose its amazing purple color and the taste will differ slightly.
• Rice. Carnaroli or Arborio are the best.
• An onion (diced)
• A carrot (diced)
• A little stalk of celery (diced)
• White wine. It’s an optional ingredient, but it gives a special hint to risotto.
• Bacon (diced)
• Water. You can substitute it with meat or vegetable broth for more hearty risotto.
• Grated cheese. Parmesan is the best choice 
• Olive oil.
• Butter. Thanks to it your risotto will be aven creamier
• Salt, pepper.

How to make rice and cabbage risotto

Put together the onion, carrot, celery, bacon and fry them in oil

Finely chop the cabbage

And add it to the bacon and vegetables mix

Cook for 10 minutes on low heat

Add rice to cabbage, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine to the rice and cook until the wine evaporates (if cooking without wine, just skip this step)

Add  water (to completely cover the rice and cabbage), salt, pepper and cook until the rice is completely ready (15-20 minutes).

If necessary, add some water from time to time

Remove the finished red cabbage risotto from the heat, add grated cheese and butter. Stir well

 Bon appetit!