Italian Sausage and Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Filed under Main Course, Wheat-free
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Sometimes I'll mention a recipe to my father, and if it starts with the words "Italian sausage" I don't think it matters that much what words comes after, he's already sold. We recently made this risotto recipe together; dad did the provisioning, the mushroom prep, and sausage cooking, while I sat on a stool stirring the risotto for a half an hour while the rice slowly absorbed the stock, a cupful at a time. Making risotto requires patience, it cannot be rushed. The rice will only absorb so much liquid at a time; it is the perfect "slow food". Neither one of us counts patience as a virtue, but perhaps I have a little more when it comes to the long, slow stirring that this dish requires, so that's the job I happily take.
Italian Sausage and Mushroom Risotto Recipe
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Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed, crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped out, caps diced
10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 cups Madeira (divided, 1/2 cup and 1 cup)
6 cups chicken stock or low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups arborio rice (about 13 ounces)
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese (for topping)
Method
1 Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add all mushrooms, thyme, and oregano and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the Madeira; boil until almost absorbed, about 1 minute. Set aside.
2 Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and cover to keep hot.
3 Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice; stir 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup Madeira; simmer until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot stock; simmer until almost absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding more stock by cupfuls, stirring often and allowing most stock to be absorbed before adding more, about 25-30 minutes. If the rice is still a little hard at the end of 30 minutes, add a little water and let it cook a little longer.
4 Stir in sausage mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.
Adapted from Bon Appétit
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Posted by Elise on Apr 22, 2007 and indexed Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, Risotto
I love making risotto. It's such a wonderful reminder to slow down and smell everything. And especially if there is Italian sausage involved.