Elise Wiggins, chef at Panzano in Denver, makes her risotto with speck, a cured ham similar to prosciutto but with a flavor closer to pancetta. The smoky grilled kale is also great on its own.
I didn't find this dish too bland, though I was surprised that it didn't have a stronger flavor considering the ingredients. I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to cook the onion, but substituted a shallot. I also used a cup of white wine to cook the risotto before I started to add broth. The kale was a pain. I cooked it in the oven instead of grilling it because I made this in winter. If you didn't want to go through the production you could buy kale chips. Don't skip the kale though, it adds a great and necessary texture. I also skipped the butter to save some calories and fat... it seemed like it had enough.
This a delightful dish, with the listed ingredients how can you go wrong. But with all that fat you can't eat it very often.
Just made this tonight with high hopes, I mean doesn't pancetta and mascarpone make everything better? Wrong. It was just plain bland, with hardly any flavor. It had the proper risotto texture, but just no flavor. I would have thought the onions, pancetta, butter, mascarpone, and stock would have imparted a nice savory flavor but oh well. Perhaps if you are a creative chef you can kick up the flavor in this one, but I think I'll just try other risotto recipes I know I enjoy next time, rather than try and mess with this one.
