Loco Moco Risotto
Ingredients:
4 eggs, divided usage
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup farro
1/2 cup white wine
1 quart (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
2 hamburger patties or veggie burgers (I used portobello veggie burgers)
1/2 cup gravy, warmed (beef, chicken or vegetarian) (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Prepare the eggs: poach or fry (sunny side up) two of the eggs. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Scramble the two remaining eggs (I whisk in a little bit of milk), cooking until the eggs are tender and fluffy. Move to a bowl and cover with a towel to keep warm.
2. Bring the stock to a low simmer in a small sauce pan.
3. Heat the oil on medium in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the onions, along with a pinch of salt, and cook until soft and translucent. Pour the rice and farro into the pan, stirring well to coat with oil, gently toasting the grains (1 to 2 minutes). Add the white wine and mix thoroughly, heating until most of the wine has evaporated.
4. Begin adding the heated stock a 1/2 cup at a time to the rice mixture, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until the grains are plump and the mixture is saucy-creamy, about 20 minutes. You should use all of the stock.
5. While the risotto is cooking, pan fry the hamburger or veggie patties (you can microwave the veggie patties instead, per package directions). Keep warm while you finish the risotto.
6. When the risotto is ready, stir in the scrambled eggs. Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper.
7. To serve, spoon risotto onto two large plates. Place one patty in the center of the rice on each plate, and top with a poached/fried egg. Drizzle with gravy, if using.
Notes:
There will be leftover risotto if you make this for two people. That’s okay. The scrambled egg risotto makes for an incredible lunch the next day. Trust me — you’ll want the leftover risotto.
I always make this as a vegetarian dish now, using vegetable stock and a veggie burger (the portobello veggie burgers from Boca are absolutely delish). But of course you don’t have to. A true Loco Moco uses a beef patty. Season it as you would your favorite burger.
As I mentioned, in risotto form, the gravy is very optional. The first time I made the dish with gravy, I used a tasty vegetarian brown gravy. Feel free to use prepared gravy from the store. Or not — the risotto doesn’t really need it.
Do ahead: poach/fry the two eggs the night before and store them in a bowl of ice water in the fridge. Just before serving, carefully remove them and reheat (dip the poached egg briefly in a pot with hot water, or give the fried egg a quick warm-up in a medium-hot pan). Use the eggs within 24 hours. Cook the hamburger patties and store in the fridge, reheating before serving.