Risotto with Fried Egg and Lardons

There is something about the smooth taste and mouth feel of perfectly cooked risotto that is hard to beat. The creamy sauce that forms while the rice cooks makes this dish really stand out, something special that you can be proud of. And if the rice is prepared carefully so that it has a little bite to it, then you have the base for any combination of ingredients that will push the meal over the top.

Tonight's risotto was no exception. As a matter of fact, I am quite willing to say that tonight's risotto was absolutely the best I have ever made. The sauce was excellent, the rice was perfectly cooked, and the taste was just fantastic. The addition of a delicately fried egg with a warm and runny golden yolk brought a rich unctuousness to the meal. And the addition of golden brown lardons as a garnish added the final layer of "oh so good" to the meal. And yes, I am very proud of how this turned out because it made my wife smile and feel so much better as she was recovering from having a wisdom tooth removed. And that smile was the icing on the cake!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup of Arborio Rice

6 cups of hot chicken  stock

1 cup of white wine

1 shallot (chopped fine)

1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 whole eggs, fried

6 tbsp butter

Begin by finely chopping the shallot. Heat 6 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir, cooking for another five minutes until most of the butter is gone. Add the cup of white wine and begin stirring slowly. The stirring of the rice and the heat from cooking causes the rice to release starch which makes the creamy sauce that makes risotto so wonderful. As you stir, the grains of rice rub against each other and the starch gets released into the hot stock. Take it easy when you stir. Stir slowly and enjoy a glass of wine as you work. Patience will make this dish come out fantastic. When most of the wine has been absorbed, add a ladleful of hot chicken stock. This should be almost boiling hot. Keep a small pot of the stock hot on a separate burner and ladle out the stock from there. When most of the stock has been absorbed by the rice, add another ladleful. Repeat this until the stock is gone (about 20 minutes). Taste the rice as you cook so you can experience the change in the rice as it transitions from a hard grain to an almost soft grain. Once it reaches the softness you desire, remove from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese, stirring briskly. Plate the risotto and then top with a fried egg and lardons as a garnish. The yolk needs to be runny so then when you cut into the egg, the yolk can run freely over the rice and add its deliciousness to your meal. Serve this hot and be prepared for the accolades.

Shallots cooking in butter.

Getting the Lardons ready.

The shallots are getting soft.

Toasting the rice before adding the white wine.

After the hot chicken stock has been added, the rice begins to release its starch.

As the stock cooksdown, the sauce gets thicker and creamier..

The finished dish.

 This was so good, I am ashamed to say Ginny and I had two servings! Please try this, it is so worth doing!