Pasta Risottata with Peas and Bacon

The fiance and I absolutely love this pasta dish from Nigella Lawson's book Nigellissima. We have made this dish at least four times now and we can't get enough of it! This pasta risotto is the definition of comfort food. Perfect for these cloudy and rainy spring days.

Pasta Risottata with Peas and Bacon (barely adapted from Nigella Lawson)
2 to 3 servings

2 tbsp olive oil (or use garlic infused oil and skip the clove of garlic)
1 clove of garlic, minced
150 g diced bacon (Nigella uses pancetta in her recipe)
150 g frozen peas
250 g orzo pasta
650 ml freshly boiled water
1 tbsp or 15g of butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Warm the oil and the minced garlic in a medium to sized pot over medium high heat. Add the diced bacon into the pot and cook until they are crisped and bronzed. Then add the frozen peas and and stir for a minute or so, until they don't look frozen anymore.

Add the orzo pasta to the pot and stir before pouring in the freshly boiled water. Turn down the heat, place a lid on the pot and let the pasta simmer for 10 minutes. Check on it and stir it a few times to keep the pasta from sticking.

When it is ready, the pasta should be soft and starchy and the water absorbed. Stir the butter and grated parmesan into the pasta and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. And then enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as the fiance and I do! The hardest thing about this dish to find here in Copenhagen is the orzo pasta. The only place I have found it so far is at Mad&Vin inside Magasin by Kongens Nytorv. Other than that, frozen peas, parmesan and bacon are a staple at our place so we always have the ingredients on hand. It is totally worth hunting down some orzo pasta for this simple, warm and comforting dish!