SRC – Breakfast Risotto from Cookaholic Wife

It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal time!  This month I was assigned Cookaholic Wife, written by Nichole.  We are both married, in our 30’s, on the East Coast, and cat moms.  I feel a connection!  We also must have similar tastes, because I saved more recipes than I have with any other SRC blog.  So bear with me for a bit here, and know that this is the edited down list!

Nichole loves s’mores just as much as I do!  Okay, maybe a little more.  The top s’more recipes that caught my eye were Vanilla Bean and Bacon S’mores, S’mores Pie, and Cinnamon S’mores Bark.

She also has some killer looking cupcake recipes like Orange Cream, Butterbeer, and Brown Sugar Butterscotch.

Other sweets that I liked the sound of were Sugar Cream Pie, Stone Fruit Eton Mess, Limoncello Cheesecake Bars, Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake, Lemon and Sour Cream Doughnuts, and Coconut Lime Cookie Bars.

On the more grown-up (read: boozy) side of things, we have Rum Punch and Limoncello Gelee.

My favorite apps were Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls, French Onion Puff Pastry Bites, and Corn Basil Cakes.

And, lastly, the entrees that had me drooling were Ham and Cheese Gnocchi Skillet, Drunken Italian Noodles, Doritos Casserole, Corn and Bacon Skillet Mac and Cheese, and Chicken with Creamy Orzo.

But the overall winner, the one I knew I had to make as soon as I saw it, was this Breakfast Risotto.  Creamy risotto with white wine and shallot, finished off with crispy pancetta, Parmesan, and a poached egg.  Simple and amazing.

There aren’t a ton of ingredients here, just simple classic flavors.  And while risotto is a bit labor intensive (you gotta stir, stir, stir to release all that creamy starch), it isn’t particularly complicated.  I love the bacon and eggs take on this that is reminiscent of carbonara; and who doesn’t want breakfast for dinner?  Enjoy!

Breakfast Risotto
adapted from Cookaholic Wife
serves 4

4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp butter, divided
4 oz pancetta, cubed
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, minced
4 poached eggs
fresh cracked black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock over medium-low heat.  If it reaches a simmer, turn the heat to low.

Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat.  Add the pancetta and cook until crispy.  Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt the remaining tbsp of butter into the grease in the skillet.  Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, then add in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.  Stir in the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes or just until rice is lightly toasted.

Pour in the white wine, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Once nearly all of the wine has been absorbed, add in about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock.  Stir occasionally, allowing the rice to absorb the chicken stock.

Repeat with remaining chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring more frequently, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.  This should take you between 25 and 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, then the pancetta.

Divide the risotto among plates and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Top each with a poached egg and fresh cracked black pepper.

One Year Ago – Crab Quinoa Salad with Lemon Butter and Avocado
Two Years Ago – Zucchini Pizza with Burrata and Anchovy
Three Years Ago – Kanikama Salad
Four Years Ago – Summer Food
Five Years Ago – CSA Week 10