Risotto con Salsiccia

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot or deep skillet
• •Medium saucepan for keeping broth warm
• •Wooden spoon
• •Ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the broth

   Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over low heat. Keep it warm throughout the cooking process. Cold broth added to hot rice shocks the grains and interrupts the release of starch. This is how risotto fails before it begins.

2. 2

   Brown the sausage

   In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the crumbled sausage meat and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. The sausage should develop some color, some fond on the bottom of the pan. Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.

   Choose sausage without fennel seeds if you want the authentic Lombard character. The sweet, porky flavor should come through without competition. Fennel belongs to the South.
3. 3

   Build the soffritto

   In the same pot, add the diced onion. There should be enough fat rendered from the sausage; if not, add another tablespoon of butter. Cook the onion over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it becomes completely soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. The onion should not take on color. Patience here determines everything that follows.

4. 4

   Toast the rice

   Add the rice to the pot all at once. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, coating every grain with the fat. The rice should become translucent at the edges while remaining opaque at the center. You will hear a faint clicking sound as the grains move against each other. This toasts the exterior starch and prepares the rice to absorb liquid properly.

5. 5

   Add the wine

   Pour in the white wine. It will sizzle and steam. Stir continuously until the wine is completely absorbed and you can no longer smell raw alcohol. The pan should be nearly dry before you proceed. This takes 1 to 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Add broth gradually

   Begin adding the warm broth one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next. The rice should always be moist but never swimming. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, not a vigorous boil. This process takes approximately 18 minutes. There are no shortcuts.

   You may not need all the broth. You may need a bit more. The rice tells you when it is done, not the clock. Taste it. The grains should be tender but with a slight firmness at the very center.
7. 7

   Return the sausage

   When the rice is nearly done, about 2 minutes before you expect to finish, stir in the reserved sausage. Let it warm through and release its flavor into the rice. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. The sausage is already seasoned, so add salt carefully.

8. 8

   Finish with mantecatura

   Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter, cut into pieces, and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds to one minute, until the butter and cheese melt into the rice, creating that characteristic creamy, flowing consistency. The risotto should spread slowly when spooned onto a plate, not sit in a mound like cement.

   This final step, the mantecatura, is what separates risotto from rice. The cold butter emulsifies with the starch to create creaminess. Do not skip it. Do not reduce the butter.
9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Let the risotto rest for one minute off heat. Spoon it onto warm plates, allowing it to spread naturally. Scatter the parsley over the top and serve immediately with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table. Risotto waits for no one. Once it is plated, your guests must begin eating.

Chef Tips

• •Carnaroli rice is superior to Arborio for risotto. It releases starch more gradually and is more forgiving of slight overcooking. If you can find it, use it.
• •The broth must stay hot. Keep it at a bare simmer in a separate pot throughout the cooking. This is not optional.
• •Fresh sausage from an Italian butcher will transform this dish. The supermarket tubes wrapped in plastic are a poor substitute, though they will work if nothing else is available.
• •Risotto cannot wait. Time your meal so that your guests are seated when you begin the mantecatura. They eat when the risotto is ready, not when they are ready.

Advance Preparation

• •The sausage can be browned several hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before adding to the risotto.
• •The broth can be made days in advance. Homemade broth produces better risotto than commercial, though good-quality store-bought will serve.
• •Risotto cannot be made ahead. It must be served immediately. Those who claim to reheat risotto are eating something else entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)