(serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. cooking oil
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp. chopped celery
2 tbsp. chopped carrot
About 1/2 - 3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb sausage ( Italian sweet, for preference.)
2 c. Arborio rice
5-6 c. chicken broth
Grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a largish saucepan, heat oil on medium high and sauté onion
for a minute or two. Add celery and carrot, sauté another minute,
add mushrooms. Sauté until mushroom juices surface. AT THE SAME
TIME, heat the chicken broth in another pot until it comes to the simmer.
You'll want to keep this broth just under a simmer throughout the cooking
process.
Add the rice to the pot and sauté it with the vegetables for a minute or two. Then add a ladleful of broth, turn the heat down to a slow simmer, and begin to stir. The broth is added 1 or 2 ladlefuls at a time while the rice cooks, and you must stir frequently to obtain the right creamy texture for this dish. I don't stir constantly; stir a bit, wash a few dishes, stir again, add broth, repeat. Be careful not to let the rice stick to the bottom of the pot. The rice will take about 25 minutes to cook. If you start to run out of broth, you can add more broth or plain water to the heated broth pot.
Between stirrings, cook the sausage. I find the dish is too greasy if the sausage is added at the beginning and browned with the vegetables, so I cook it separately, either in a frying pan or in the microwave. Break the sausage up into lumps as you cook, or slice it when you are done.
When the rice is "al dente" (like pasta) add the sausage and the grated parmesan. Parmesan you buy in a chunk and grate yourself is always more flavorful than the pre-shredded stuff. This is important in a dish like this where the cheese is a major flavor ingredient. I have a cool little grater from Zyliss that has a crank; grates the cheese in a flash with no scraped knuckles.
At this point your rice should be creamy and wonderful. If it seems too thick, add a little more broth and stir. If it's not rich enough, add a little butter (but we never seem to need it). Season to taste and serve with a green salad for a great one-dish meal.
Risotto can also be flavored with any number of other ingredients; asparagus is another favorite of mine. If you're really interested, Marcella Hazan has a great chapter on risotto in her Classic Italian Cookbook, which I highly recommend.