Luke informed me that his favorite part of my blog is the recipes I occasionally post. I think it’s because that means he gets to test out the food. ;) I decided to do a series of recipes in a theme, not every week but as often as I can, and when I’ve exhausted this theme, I’ll make a new one!

So, first series up, PUT AN EGG ON IT! Luke and I love, I mean lovelovelove eggs. Fried, poached, scrambled, whatever. And one of our favorite things is to top various foods with runny-yolk eggs. I apologize if that’s not your thing, you are seriously crazy, I mean, sorry…I’ll do a drastically different series next time. ;)

This recipe is from Bon Appetit, where I get a lot of my recipes and I am so in love with their magazine. (Especially lately…they’ve made some layout and design changes and the photography has gotten even more amazing!) Risotto in itself is probably Luke and my favorite dish. I make it often and have a few versions, but once I saw this version topped with a poached egg, I knew I’d have to give it a try!

I changed up a few ingredients from the original, based on how I usually make risotto and what we had or liked. The add-ins we prefer after a couple times making it are leeks, wild mushrooms (I wish I could get “real” wild mushrooms, not a “stir-fry mix” but I’ll take what I can get!) and asparagus. We don't really like the taste of fennel, so that went, and Luke's not big on favas or peas. Also, you could use the creme fraiche/sour cream but I prefer butter to "finish" the risotto. And I pretty much halved the recipe, but I still think it serves 4 comfortably. 

Also, poaching an egg is so much simpler than I ever imagined! I had never poached one up until making this, and I was a little apprehensive. Why I was so nervous about it, I’ll never know. If you can boil water, you can poach an egg!

SPRING RISOTTO // serves 4

Olive oil

8 oz wild mushrooms (or baby bella, if you can’t get wild), chopped

1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1” pieces

Salt and Pepper

1 leek, white and light green parts, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. aborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

6 c. chicken broth, simmering (you probably won't need it all.)

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

2 T. butter.

Splash a little olive oil (I use about half a tablespoon) in a large sauté pan (I have a favorite cast iron pan that I call my risotto pan) and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat, about 8 minutes, until soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and remove from pan into a bowl. Add another splash of olive oil and sauté the asparagus until tender, about 5 minutes. Put the asparagus in the bowl with the mushrooms. Add another splash of oil, and add the leeks and sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and rice. Stir so that it’s all coated with the oil, and cook for a minute. Pour in the wine carefully (it will steam a lot) and stir, until the wine mostly evaporates and leaves “trails” in the pan. (You will see creamy-looking streaks on the bottom of the pan when you stir.) That’s the cue to add broth, about 1/2 c. at a time. Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente, a bit of chew to it but soft. You want the finished product to not be soupy, but not thick either, it should spread a bit when you put it into a bowl.  Then add the butter and parmesan and stir it in, and after both have melted add in the mushrooms and asparagus. Remove from the heat and serve with a poached egg over the top.

TO POACH AN EGG:

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer with a splash of vinegar. You want it to be simmering lightly, not a rolling boil. Crack an egg into a small bowl. When the water is simmering, hold the bowl right over the surface of the water and gently slide the egg in. Repeat with a second egg. (It’s easiest to do two at a time.) Set a timer right away for 3 minutes. When it goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pot. Either serve right away, or put into a bowl of ice water to keep from cooking any longer. To heat back up when ready to serve, drop back into simmering water for about 30 seconds.