Risotto with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach
You owe it to yourself to make this one evening when you are in need of some rich comfort food.
Have all ingredients prepped and at hand, along with some delightful beverage, before you start. Risotto is one thing that will not be ignored. She is worthy of her demand of your attention at the end.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
8 ounces freshly sliced mushrooms, white or crimini
1 lb sweet italian sausage
1/2 cup soft wine such as riesling or white zinfandel
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups water
1 large bag (10 oz) fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups arborio or other short grain rice
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prep and assemble all ingredients before you start. Have the broth and water at a gentle simmer, with a ladle in it for dipping.
Heat a heavy bottomed medium to large dutch oven.When the pan is well heated, put the oil in to coat the bottom. Quickly add the onion and italian sausage. Stir around until the italian sausage becomes mixed with the onions and well broken up. Raise the heat to high, and add the mushrooms. The high heat is very important to the end result of this dish. Keep this dish on high heat until you begin to get real browning. It will take a little bit. Don’t be discouraged when the mushrooms begin to give up a little of their water. They will. Keep at it. Push this dish at high heat until the liquid goes away. You will hear a characteristic popping sound as the meat starts to really brown. Keep turning, stirring, and clearing the bottom of the pan. Watch your mushrooms turn a beautiful golden brown, and the meat a toasty nutty brown. Brown it as much as you like or as much as you dare. Don’t worry about a little sticking, we will clear that up with the next step. The browning process adds a depth of flavor that is profound and delicious.
Once you have it brown enough, turn the heat down to medium high, and add the rice. Stir so that the rice is integrated into the onion/sausage/mushroom mixture and it’s all coated. Don’t brown it. As soon as it is all coated and well mixed, add the wine in, all at once. At the same time, set your timer for 18 minutes.
STAND BACK when you pour the wine in, and watch your hand doing the pouring. There will be a lot of steam and it WILL burn you. It will calm down after a few seconds, and then take a flat spatula and stir and clear the bottom. Keep stirring until the wine has been completely absorbed. Then start adding the simmering broth about a cup at a time. Keep your mix bubbling, and keep stirring so that nothing sticks. You may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low, depending on your range. You want it to simmer but not boil fast. After you add the broth, let it get fully absorbed before you add another cup full. With most ladles, this is 2 ladles of simmering broth. Most of the time it will take about 3 to 4 minutes each time for the rice to absorb the broth. Keep adding the broth, and stirring, until the 18 minutes are up. At the end of 18 minutes, turn off the heat. Depending on your mix: if it is still fairly loose and wet, leave the pot on the burner; if it is dry and about to stick, take the pot off the heat, and turn the spinach into the mixture. Stir and toss carefully until the spinach is wilted and incorporated. Add the Parmesan and fresh ground pepper and stir. Let stand 5 minutes, covered, before serving.
This is a deeply layered rich satisfying dish, truly a meal in a bowl. All you need is a glass of your favorite wine and some fresh fruit for dessert!
