Will It Risotto? Green Eggs and Ham Edition

The other night as I was cooking dinner, absentmindedly stirring, I started thinking about the popular trend “Will it focaccia?” I was making one of my favorite things to cook—risotto! Which naturally led to the question, “Will it risotto?”

The answer so far is… yes, yes it will!

A LITTLE LOVE FOR RISOTTO

Risotto is one of those wonderful foods that elevates dinner and makes it feel special. While it takes a bit of patience, it is essentially (as my girlfriend likes to say) just advanced boiling. She and I know there’s a cookbook in that idea somewhere!

The additions to risotto are already quite plentiful: mushrooms, winter squash, spring peas or asparagus, fresh green herbs, saffron, seafood—so many possibilities. Naturally, I started to think about what shouldn’t belong but maybe could.

THE “WILL IT RISOTTO?” EXPERIMENT

My first thoughts were Thai coconut rice with mango, green eggs and ham, cinnamon raisin “oatmeal,” and macaroni and cheese. A brief survey produced even more ideas: ramen, baked potato, pizza, and even sushi! My plan is to try them all and report back.

GREEN EGGS AND HAM, RISOTTO STYLE

I started with Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate all the green going on in March. For the ham, I began by rendering pancetta until it was nice and crispy. Removing those delicious bits from the pan left me with a gorgeous base to sauté some garlic and the rice. While the risotto was cooking, I created a simple pesto with two parts spinach, one part basil, olive oil, and a bit of Parm. I cooked the risotto about halfway before adding a spoonful of pesto.

THE FINAL STIR

When the risotto was ready—still with a bit of bite—I removed it from the heat and added the rest of the pesto, saving a generous spoonful for the eggs. I whisked the eggs, added the reserved pesto, and cooked them to a soft scramble in a separate pan. Once the eggs were ready, I gently folded them into the risotto along with the crispy pancetta. The result? Bright, creamy, silky, and delicious. All the taste testers raved. This one scores a solid 10 out of 10!