Italian Sausage Risotto Recipes

Steps:

• With the tip of a small, sharp knife, slit open the sausage casings. Crumble the meat into a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven, and set over medium heat. If the meat is not rendering enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan as it begins to cook, add olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the meat is frying gently, not steaming. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the sausage, and cook, breaking up any large chunks of sausage and stirring occasionally, until the meat is opaque and crisp at the edges, approximately 10 minutes. Remove sausage from pan, and reserve 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
• Pour the stock into a medium saucepan or pot, and bring to a low simmer.
• While the stock heats, return the heavy skillet or Dutch oven to medium-low heat, and add to it the 1 tablespoon reserved sausage fat and 1 tablespoon butter, or 2 tablespoons butter if you don't want to cook with the sausage fat. When the butter foams, add the diced onion, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it is soft and translucent, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice, and stir until well coated, adding another tablespoon of fat if necessary. Stir until translucent, an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
• Raise the heat under the rice to medium, and add the wine to the skillet. Stir until wine is absorbed, then reduce the heat slightly. Begin adding ladlefuls of hot broth to the rice, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Cook rice until it is tender but slightly chewy, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. You may not need all the broth. You may need more than you have; if additional liquid is needed, you can use boiling water.
• Remove the skillet from heat, and add the cheese, stirring to mix it into the rice. Add the sausage to the rice, and stir again. Taste, and adjust seasonings with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Squeeze the lemon over the rice, and then mound the risotto on a large, warmed bowl. Scatter the parsley over the top, and serve immediately, with more grated Parmesan on the side.

Steps:

• Add the butter and olive oil to a medium skillet (cast iron works great). We use nonstick for convenience at the restaurant. When the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add the garlic and then add the rice. Stir the rice and garlic to coat with the oil and butter. Once completely coated, stirring for about a minute, add some of the stock until the rice is slightly covered. Continue to add the stock slowly as the stock is absorbed by the rice. Reduce to medium heat and stir occasionally to prevent sticking to skillet.
• Once the rice has cooked for 5 to 10 minutes, add the saffron. Continue to add the stock slowly, covering the rice with stock, allowing it to absorb into the rice while cooking and then recovering the rice with stock. This process will be repeated until the rice is cooked to desired tenderness. As the saffron is slowly absorbed into the rice, the risotto will turn a brilliant yellow. If you use stringy style saffron it should all be broken down and absorbed by the time the risotto is finished. (The powder version takes less time to absorb.)
• Slowly reduce the amount of chicken stock that is added as you reach the desired tenderness, about 45 minutes. Once this magical point is reached, stir in the cheese.
• Add the sausage to a medium pot of boiling water. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes depending on size and style of sausage. (Don't pierce the sausage.)
• Place the desired serving size of risotto on a plate or pasta bowl. Garnish by sprinkling a medium circle of cheese in the middle of the risotto and sprinkle a smaller circle of parsley on top for color. Peel the sausage, slice lengthwise in half and line the boarder of each side of the risotto with the sausage. (Optionally, cut the sausage in 1/4-inch pieces on the bias and add to the risotto before plating.)

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley and remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat 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 Madeira; boil until almost absorbed, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Bring stock to simmer in large saucepan; remove from heat and cover to keep hot. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 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 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Pass cheese separately.

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, approximately 4 minutes or until browned.
• Drain.
• Add garlic, onion, zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often, approximately 3 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
• Add rice.
• Mix well.
• Add 3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Cover, cook for 15 minutes, stirring once.
• Add the remainder of the chicken stock, stirring often and simmer approximately 5 minutes or until rice is tender and creamy.
• Add tomato, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
• Stir.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Saute sausage, onion, and garlic in the pot over medium high heat until onion is tender, breaking meat up with a spoon.
• Add rice and stir for 1 minute.
• Add 4 C of broth, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently.
• Continue to simmer until rice is just tender, adding more broth, 1/4 C at a time, stirring frequently, about 10 min longer.
• Mix in 1/4 C of cheese and 1/4 C of parsley and season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a large serving bowl, top with remaining parsley and pass remaining cheese at the table.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
• In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.
• Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, for 3 minutes. Add shallots, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; saute until shallots begin to caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add Arborio rice and stir until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and continue stirring until almost absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Begin to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir until broth is almost completely absorbed, then add another 1/2 cup and repeat. Continue adding broth until risotto resembles a thick porridge but still has some bite to it. This process will take 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the sausage mixture, Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt if necessary. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat broth and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Set aside and keep warm. , In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion, garlic and saffron in butter and oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Carefully stir in 1 cup warm broth. Cook and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed., Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender. (Cooking time is about 20 minutes.) Add reserved sausage; heat through. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and cream. Serve immediately.