Risotto Carbonara

Risotto is one of those dishes that provide an opportunity to be really creative. Similar to the canvas that a pizza dough can be, rice can be combined and cooked with a wide variety of meats, vegetables, broths, cheeses and seasonings to create and endless array of risotti.

When I made this carbonara risotto, I had a little refrigerator party which included thawing a ham steak and a pizza dough that I found in the freezer. I figured that I'd come up with an idea on how to use both by the time they thawed.

That is actually a habit of mine and a kind of game I play when I get to be in the kitchen. I look in the fridge, freezer, and pantry and grab stuff that catches my eye. Then while anything frozen is thawing, I ponder what fun things I can do with it.

In the case of this ham steak, I had a crave for some ham salad, so divided the steak so that I could make some salad (recipe coming soon) and still have some for what ever dinner turned out to be. When I was perusing my pantry for inspiration, I saw the arborio rice sitting there all lonely and that's when it came to me: figure out a way to use the ham in a risotto!

Then my thinking went to how to make the risotto a one-put supper and that's when adding peas and the additional protein from the eggs and cheese like carbonara came to me. An Americanized version of carbonara uses ham or bacon in place of pancetta, prosciutto, or guanciale, so down the rabbit hole I went.

When I grabbed the onion, garlic and mushrooms to make a mirepoix for the risotto, I got the idea for a mushroom focaccia. So ultimately, that day's trip down the rabbit hole produced the ham salad, the focaccia (both recipes coming soon) and the risotto.

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I started the risotto with butter and olive oil and some minced garlic, onion and mushroom. Once that moisture started to get aromatic, I added the arborio rice and stir-fried until it started to toast a bit. I used some white wine to deglaze the pot before adding some frozen vegetable broth that I had made.

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While the rice was cooking (remember to stir frequently) I chopped up the ham and grabbed an equal amount of frozen peas to add later. For the sauce, I whisked the yolks (setting the whites aside for meringue kisses) and added heavy cream.

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Continuing with assembling the sauce, I shredded the cheese and stirred it into the egg and cream mixture and seasoned with course cracked black pepper. When the rice was cooked to al dente, I stirred in the ham and peas and turned off the burner.

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The final step before serving, storing, or baking, was to add the egg mixture. The reason I remove the rice from the burner and add the ham and cold peas first is cool things down a bit to insure that the eggs stay creamy and don't cook into chunks when they are stirred in.

For serving the day I made it, I covered the risotto with foil and kept it in a low oven until it was time to serve. BTW, I ended up making the mushroom focaccia to serve that same evening.

THE RECIPE:

2T each: butter, olive oil, minced onions, garlic, and mushrooms

1C arborio rice

1/4C white wine

3C vegetable broth (beef or chicken also work)

1-2 C diced ham (bacon or pancetta also work)

1-2 C frozen peas

3 large egg yolks beaten

1C heavy cream (or half & half)

1-2 C shredded cheeses (I used Asiago and Parmesan)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the oil, butter and minced vegetables until aromatic

Stir in the uncooked rice to coat with pan juices

Gently heat the rice stirring often until is becomes golden in color

Try to avoid scorching it

When the rice is golden, add the white wine to deglaze anything that stuck to the pot.

Add the broth, reduce the heat, cover and let the rice cook slowly.

Stir periodically and if it looks like there isn't enough liquid, add some more broth or water in small amounts until the rice is cooked al dente and there is no extra liquid in the pot.

While the rice is cooking, shred he cheeses, mix the cream with the eggs and combine with about a teaspoon of cracked pepper.

When the rice is cooked, fold in the ham and peas and remove from the heat.

Finally, add the egg mixture and and stir until the rice, ham, and peas are completely coated.

Transfer to a serving or baking dish.

If you like a golden crunch to your risotto, you can bake it uncovered in a 375 or 400 degree oven for a bit until it turns golden.

If not serving right away, the risotto can be kept warm covered in foil in a low oven.

It also freezes really well. To prepare after freezing, thaw the risotto and then slowly heat in the oven, toaster oven, or even the microwave -- keep in mind that the key is to heat it slowly and covered so it doesn't dry out.