Wow, what a week! The election, the early bird sale at work, and my dad’s birthday. I’m exhausted as I write this, coming down from a lot of hard work. But I’m feeling good. We celebrated Saturday night with a feast of Chinese takeout and shared in joyous relief after the blue wave. To celebrate I slept in Thursday and made myself breakfast risotto, a luxurious version of my favorite Italian rice dish. Loaded with cheese, bacon, scallions, and topped with a runny egg.
Breakfast Risotto
At the beginning of the week I was feeling stressed. The impending dread of election night hovered over me like a black cloud. I was hopeful, but so was the old me in Portugal in 2024 during the previous presidential election. Tuesday was a blur, and my parents and I gathered around the TV to watch the votes come in. My heart started racing.
First was North Carolina. Then Texas and Michigan and Maine. Even Kansas. It became clear not long into the night that change was coming. And I felt overjoyed. It has felt lately like the world is coming apart at the seams, so I felt something like hope for the first time in a while. I spoke to people from across the aisle, too, who realized that there are things wrong with our country and we need change. We in Maine, for the first time in my life, will not have a Susan Collins as a senator.
The Blue Wave + Bagels
I woke up early Wednesday relieved and refreshed. With a pep in my step and optimism coursing through me. I drove down to my old college town before work and bought a few bagels from a shop I’ve been wanting to try. I also visited a bakery for some cookies and ordered my favorite panini to take to work for lunch. Everyone seemed to be smiling. I wore blue, coincidentally. And I felt a lightness in the air. The bakery was laced with fall spice scents and the bagel shop was potent with fresh coffee and still-warm bread.
I went to work after and had a great day. The day was filled with bright and friendly customers who came to stock up on wine, cheese, and holiday treats. It poured rain all afternoon, so I dreaded driving home. In the dark, now, because of daylight savings time. It was nerve-racking and slow, but I made it back to the dirt driveway where I grew up and I cooked burgers for dinner like I always do. We watched Survivor like we always do. And I went to bed happy. Exhausted. And excited to make breakfast risotto on Thursday.
Sushi Rice + Bacon
The idea was floating around in my head for a while. I made risotto spontaneously a few weeks ago for dinner with a lemon-y chicken and parmesan and it was delicious. However, it didn’t reheat well. I had used jasmine rice because I was out of arborio. So it absorbed a lot of the liquid as it sat in the fridge and became more like a pilaf. So this time, for my breakfast risotto, I dreamed of something creamy, rich, cheesy, and runny like porridge. I gathered my favorite breakfast flavors – bacon, sour cream, cheddar, eggs. And I decided to use sushi rice.
Once again I forgot to buy risotto rice. But I knew the short grain variety I had would be just fine. I started by cooking bacon in a big stainless steel pan. Dreaming of another Hestan pan, but making the most out of the cheap one my mom bought ages ago at a department store. The bacon crisped up beautifully and speckled the stove with grease. I used my favorite culinary tweezers to remove them and drained the strips on paper towels. Next I measured my rice and toasted it all up in the bacon fat. Infusing the dish with that smoky, fatty flavor that I crave often for breakfast.
Scallions, Cheese, and Sour Cream
The rice quickly toasted and smelled nutty. The white grains took on a delicate golden color and I delighted in shaking them around the pan. I forgot to mention – I spent the morning bubbling up a delicious homemade vegetable stock with scraps of onions, carrots, and celery. Leftover from my bolognese recipe. I added a few herbs and garlic, too, for more flavor. By the time my rice was toasted I had strained the stock into my favorite dutch oven and it steamed in a golden potion next to the rice.
I started with a couple ladles-full of stock and watched the rice drink it all up quickly. So I added another, turned the heat down, and let it bubble away for a few minutes. In the meantime I picked scallions out of my garden. Most of my vegetables and plants are long gone now, but the scallions and sunflowers are hanging on. Even through frosty mornings and rain storms. I washed the green stems and chopped them up finely, placing the little discs in a prep cup while I cooked. Back to the breakfast risotto – I added another ladle of stock and it kept cooking.
A Fried Egg on Top
After a few more ladles and several tastes of rice, I had the perfect al dente texture. So I switched off the heat and added sour cream, cheese, egg yolks, and a little butter. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and adjusted it several times, wiping my tasting spoon on a towel between each pass. Finally I was happy with the flavor. So I added a little more vegetable stock to get the perfect texture and I spooned some onto my plate. On top went bacon shards, crushed potato chips, since I forgot to shred and fry potatoes, and my verdant scallions. As I moved to photograph my dish, I realized I had forgotten the most important part of the breakfast risotto. A runny egg on top!
So I fired up my new favorite fry pan and cracked an egg on the stove top. It sizzled and hissed as it fell into the pan and I found a glass lid in a nearby drawer to help it steam. The difference between perfect risotto and claggy, thick rice is a matter of a few seconds sometimes. So I kept checking on my breakfast risotto skeptically. It had thickened, so I added a little vegetable stock to the pan every minute or so and stirred it up. Then, when my egg yolk was slightly jiggly, I slipped it on top of the risotto and finished with a sprinkle of salt.
Early Bird
It felt like a meal fit for a king. The cheese and the rice and runny egg yolk. Crisp bacon and flavorful scallions. I photographed it quickly so I could dig in. And I ate a whole plate for my lunch. It was the literal and metaphorical egg on top of my week. The rice was perfectly cooked and still had a slight toothsome texture. The sauce reminded me of carbonara with a tang from sour cream. Richness from the egg yolks and salt from the bacon fat and parmesan. I could have added a whole cup of my scallions. The crunch of the bacon and potato chips on top was sublime. And the runny egg yolk…
My breakfast risotto was a success. And it reheated perfectly this time. I plated some for my mom Friday night after work. Which was the first day of our early bird sale at the cooking store. I had been warned that early bird would be incredibly busy, but I felt invincible. Still on a high of hearing that another customer wrote to the owners to rave about me. Just the other day I signed two of my greeting cards for a kind customer. And I’m starting to feel like I’m really good at what I do. So Friday was busy, indeed, but manageable. I sold several pots and pans and met many enthusiastic people.
Busy, Fulfilling Days
Then Saturday came. We gathered at work an hour early, and I ate pumpkin cake and quiche to fuel myself for the day ahead. We all braced ourselves for the storm. And boy did it come! I spent the day ringing up customer after customer and feeling like my eyes were going to fall out of my head. Then I had a couple hours of reprieve where I was assigned to customer service. And I sold a damn impressive amount of pans, if I do say so myself. My boss complimented me in front of a customer. I wowed a family of three with my advice on how to use stainless steel. And I felt invincible.
I attacked each question with gusto and glided around the store like a dancer, showing person after person where the microplanes, teas, oyster plates, and baking dishes were. It felt like an endless carnival of delight, answering cooking question after question like I was on a game show. Touring person after person through our pots and pans and reciting the knowledge I’ve studied so many times. I came upstairs with 6 boxes balanced on top of each other at one point and even my coworkers had their jaws on the floor. I couldn’t have been more proud.
Chinese Takeout
At the end of the day I was ready to drop. I made a mistake, which was remedied quickly. Almost a perfect game. But then I was free to drive home. It was less rainy this time. We ate Chinese takeout for dinner and I fell asleep in front of the TV like I had run a marathon. So I crawled into bed early. Sunday was my dad’s birthday. Which, admittedly, I forgot to plan for. All the chaos of the election and early bird distracted me devilishly. I profusely apologized to him after I woke up, with no gift in hand. But he didn’t mind. We ate breakfast together. Played pool. And watched TV. I bought him a present online, which will arrive soon. My mom made his favorite pasta for dinner.
I ate leftovers of my breakfast risotto with chicken. And it was delicious the second time around. I have a couple days off now, which is so needed. But I’m feeling so fulfilled. Hopeful about the state of the world for the first time in a while. And so proud of all that I’ve learned and practiced to be a stellar cooking store salesman. My coworkers continue to be amazing, patient, and kind. Our customers are patient too and caring, curious, and make me feel like a part of the greater community. And now I feel like I can handle anything. I still have a lot to learn. But I’m excited to keep going.
Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy shop for 100’s or recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. See you next time!
Breakfast Risotto
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 lb sliced bacon
- 1 1/4 cups short grain rice
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 6 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup crushed potato chips
Instructions
- Heat vegetable stock in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.
- Cook bacon until golden and crisp in a large sauté pan and remove + drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Turn heat to medium. Add rice to pan and stir to combine. Toast for 2-3 minutes until golden.
- Add vegetable stock, 1 cup at a time, and shake rice to distribute liquid. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the stock evaporates.
- Repeat 5-6 times until rice is cooked but al dente. Reserve rest of stock for adjusting consistency later.
- Add sour cream, parmesan, cheddar, and 2 egg yolks to the rice and mix thoroughly. Add stock to thin if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a separate pan, cook an egg over easy for each portion of risotto.
- Garnish each plate of rice with an egg, a sprinkle of scallions, bacon pieces, and crushed potato chips.
Notes
- You can use arborio rice or sushi rice in this recipe. Any short grain variety will do!
- I used potato chips to save time, but you can also fry your own potato garnish! Fried onion straws would also be delicious.
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