A few weeks ago I was reading one of my favorite food blogs, Last Night's Dinner, and came across a post that grabbed my attention.  Apparently, Chef Tom Colicchio's well known NYC eatery Craft makes a mean bacon & egg risotto and Last Night's Dinner blogger Jennifer Hess was inspired by a friend to try her own spin on it.  Although they ate it for dinner, I thought it'd make a nice brunch dish and I stored that thought in one of my mind's closets.  Last night, when pondering what I might do with my lazy-holiday-weekend-Sunday-morning, I reached into that closet and pulled out the bacon & egg risotto for brunch idea.  Here's my version, making enough risotto to serve 6:

• 2 or 3 slices of pancetta per person
• 1 egg per person
• splash of white vinegar
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium shallot finely diced
• salt
• pepper
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used a great, inexpensive Bigi Orvieto Classico ($8))
• pinch of saffron (optional, for color)
• 1 cup grated hard Italian cheese (I used a half-cup of Pecorino Romano and a half cup of Parmesan)
• Italian flat leaf parsley

I began by frying a few slices of pancetta in a dutch oven under a bacon press (to keep it flat) over medium heat.  Use your judgment here and fry as many pieces as you'd like to serve to whoever you're eating with.  When the pancetta is crispy and beginning to brown, remove to a paper towel.

While the pancetta is frying, place the 4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water in a saucepan over med-low heat.  As soon as it begins to simmer, turn the heat down to the lowest setting to keep the liquid warm.  This is simply a step to reduce the cooking time of the risotto when you add these liquids.

Also while the pancetta was frying, prepare water to poach the eggs.  I use my 12 in. cast iron skillet, because the eggs don't have far to fall and, consequently, are less likely to separate during poaching.  I fill the skillet with water and throw in a splash of white vinegar and a dash of salt.

When I was done frying the pancetta, I threw 2 Tbsp of butter into the pancetta fat in the dutch oven—just to be extra decadent.  You could certainly skip the butter if you felt like it.  When the butter stops foaming, add the shallot and sauté until it's translucent . . . 6 or 7 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt and a twist from the pepper mill while the shallot is cooking.

Next, add the arborio rice and cook until it is translucent around its edges . . . around 4 minutes.  I also added a pinch of saffron threads crushed (optional, for color).

Then add the white wine and cook until the wine is fully absorbed by the rice . . . about 2 minutes.  Next, add about half of the pre-heated stock/water mixture (don't worry about measuring it—just pour it straight from the saucepan into the dutch oven with the rice).  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until the liquid is absorbed . . . 10-15 minutes.

When making risotto, you should at this stage begin checking grains of rice for doneness . . . I prefer my risotto soft (not mushy) with a little tiny bit of resistance from the center of the rice—al dente.  Proceed by adding additional pre-heated stock/water by half-cup increments, stirring occasionally, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed, testing for doneness, and adding another half-cup if necessary.  This is, perhaps, the stage of risotto-making that has earned it the label of "difficult" from some—but it's not difficult at all.  Just test as you go and continue adding liquid until it's done.  Also, if you run out of stock/water before the risotto is done, don't panic . . . just add some water.

When the risotto is approaching "done," poach your eggs.  I place the eggs in little 6 oz. Pyrex bowls (ramekins work fine, too) and then submerge the edge of the bowl into the boiling water in the skillet . . . allowing boiling water to fill the bowl and then tipping the bowl gently to allow the egg to slide out into the skillet.  Cook for 3 to 5 minutes . . . 3 for loose yolks, 5 for well-done yolks, about 4 minutes for medium yolks.

When the risotto is done and the eggs are poaching, add the cheese to the risotto, stir, salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with the egg, pancetta and, if you'd like, some parsley.

What a great way to start a day.  Now I'm off to the Dupont Circle farmers market.