Saffron Purple Carrot Risotto

Up until a few months ago I didn't dare buy purple carrots because I didn't know what to do with them. Now that they come in the produce box, I have finally experienced a purple carrot. It's... a... carrot.

I modified two different risotto recipes to get this one. Because of the purple carrot, the color of this dish may appear 'dirty' (as you can see in the picture) but don't let that full you. The taste is awesome!

Saffron Purple Carrot Risotto

6 cups home-made chicken stock
4 tbs butter (half a stick)
3 oz diced pancetta
1 medium onion,diced
1 1/2 cup purple carrots, diced
1/2 cup regular carrots, diced
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Heat the chicken stop on the stove and leave at low heat.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt the butter and saute the pancetta, diced onion, and diced carrots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grain with butter, for about 1 minute. Add the wine, if you want, and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of heated chicken stock, the saffron, the salt, and the pepper - stir and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. (This is where I turn the heat up just a touch closer to medium, somewhere between medium and medium-low.) Keep adding 2 ladles of stock at time until absorbed, frequently stirring. Continue this process until the rice is cooked.

Note: I always thought that the risotto was this blob of rice until I realized that it's actually supposed to be runny. So, you may need a  bit more liquid than the 6 cups of stock. I usually end up adding a touch of water to the stock pan to warm up for my last addition. So... make sure your risotto is a bit runny, not a dry blob of rice before you add cheese.

Finally, when rice is cooked, take risotto of the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Then, enjoy!