Mushroom and Sausage Risotto

Saturday night, our friend Stacey came over for dinner. She has been wanting to learn how to make risotto, so I decided to give her a lesson. I had most of the prep work done so that we could prepare the dish without being stressed. This recipe is based on one from a book called Risotto by Judith Barrett and Norma Wasserman. Our recipe used fewer mushrooms, more sausage and we decided to add peas to round it out. The dish turned out very good, the mushrooms were wonderful. Risotto Con Funghi E Salsiccia is perfect for this time of the year.

Mushroom and Sausage Risotto

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup red wine
4 to 5 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp. carrot, minced
2 Tbsp. celery, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. When it begins to foam, add mushrooms and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add red wine, turn heat to high and boil vigorously until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Turn off heat and set aside.
Bring broth to simmer in a saucepan.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage, breaking up the sausage while stirring, until it begins to brown.
Add the rice, stirring for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Start adding the broth, 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
After about 18 minutes, when rice is tender but firm, add mushrooms, cheese and parsley. Stir and serve immediately.

Asparagus-Radicchio Risotto

Saturday night, while Alicia and Shazam were here, I decided to fix dinner. I thought a nice veggie risotto would be nice since we had been eaten so much during their visit. I shredded a head of radicchio and sauteed it with some sliced baby bella mushrooms in a little olive oil. I cut up a bunch of asparagus and blanched it , adding the heads to the water about a minute after I dropped the other pieces in. Once the asparagus was cooked to my liking I added it to the risotto. I finished it off by adding about a cup of grated Pecorino-Romano cheese and served it with bread and salad. My basic recipe can be found here: Risotto.

Risotto w/ Fresh Mozzarella,Grape Tomatoes & Basil

This is one of those recipes that sound really good, but the end result is just okay. I was excited when I saw this recipe in my September 2007 copy of Cooking Light, it seemed to have so much going for it. I added garlic to my recipe thinking it would need that, but in the end it was still lacking in flavor. The balsamic syrup that you drizzle over in the end was wonderful and could have made this dish much better if there was more of it. It was also my first experience with leeks and in my opinion there was way to much of that in the recipe. In the end, I think it needed an addition of Parmesan to give it that added creaminess you expect from risotto. I will try this one again next summer, it could be a really good dish.
As I am typing the recipe, I find that part of my problem is the fact that I don't always pay attention to instructions. The recipe calls for an addition of half and half that I totally forgot to add. There went my creaminess! I will definitely try this one again.

Risotto w/Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes & Basil

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 cups fat-free, less- sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped leek
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup half & half
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 fresh basil, chopped
5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, finely diced

Place vinegar in a small, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly syrupy and reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Keep warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and saute 3 minutes. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add wine and cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup of broth; cook five minutes and stir often. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup a time, until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Stir in half and half, salt and pepper and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes, basil and cheese. Place about 1 cup risotto into six shallow bowls; drizzle each with 1/2 tsp. balsamic syrup and 1/2 tsp. oil.

Lemon Basil Risotto

This is a recipe that I adapted from Cooking Light some time ago. My copy had "Good" written at the top and was even underlined twice. I decided to make it for dinner last night, because it seemed summery and I needed the comfort food factor. It has a fresh tomato topping on it that is similar to my Fresh No-Cook Tomato Pasta Sauce and I remember the lemon being a nice addition. Well, when I made it last night it did not do it for me. The lemon was way too strong and drowned out all the other flavors. Needless to say, this dish did not do it for me this time and I doubt I would try it again.

Lemon-Basil Risotto

Topping:

1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Dash of sugar

Dash of salt

Dash of black pepper

Risotto:

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 (32 oz) box less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

For the topping, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover and let stand at room temperature. To prepare risotto, bring chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice;cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. Stir in salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Start adding chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed and continue until all the broth has been used, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in cheese, juice, zest and basil. Serve in bowls with tomato topping spooned over.

Dirty Risotto

This is another Giada inspired dish. I have made it a couple of times and changed it slightly from her recipe. This is her Italian take on dirty rice. I love this recipe, risotto is my all time favorite food and the addition of Italian sausage just makes it all that better. Topping the risotto with Italian flat leaf parsley really brightens the dish.

Dirty Risotto

1 (32 oz) box of reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
2 links (about 8 oz) Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a simmer. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
In a large heavy skillet, melt 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, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding 1/2 cup a broth at a time, stirring and allowing each addition to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining cheese and parsley.

Risotto Again?!

Since I've returned from vacation , I can't seem to get into the cooking mode. Last night I decided to make risotto and clean out the cupboard at the same time. Since I did not have a shallot, I chopped up a small yellow onion and sauteed it in 4 tbsp. olive oil along with a handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms. After about 7 minutes I added the rice and a chopped clove of garlic and pretty much then followed my basic recipe. In the last 5 minutes I added the rest of a bag of frozen peas (about 1 cup) and the remains of a bag of frozen baby lima beans (about 1 cup). It turned out so good!! I love risotto more than any other food and it really is so easy easy to prepare.

Risotto

One of my favorite comfort foods is Risotto. It works as a great main dish or a nice side dish. I love the creaminess of the rice and the flavors that can be added to it. It's also much easier to prepare than a lot of people think. I once took a cooking class with the Italian Grandmas called Tutti a Tavola. They said that risotto should be put in the pot with all the liquid and lidded for twenty minutes without stirring. I don't cook it that way myself, I love the stirring and and such. For me it's therapy, like washing dishes or mowing the lawn. I will put my basic risotto recipe here. It's one that can be added too, depending on what you have on hand. Sauteed mushrooms, peas, grilled chicken, pancetta, pre-blanched asparagus; the possibilities are endless. Just add the ingredients in with the final addition of broth. You can use vegetable broth when making this, I prefer chicken.

Risotto

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
32 oz. chicken broth, simmering in separate sauce pan
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs. fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbs. unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a heated skillet, add olive oil, then add shallots. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the rice and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the white wine and simmer on low, stirring until liquid is absorbed by the rice. Start adding the hot chicken broth about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed. Continue until all the broth is added. This should take 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat; add butter and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.