Recipe: Dirty Risotto

With a few exceptions, I've been able to keep up with planning a weekly menu. It's amazing how much time it saves during the week. Although it would be easier to stick with things that we've tried and liked, I have a hobby of having a good share of cookbooks that I like to look through. We've had several great meals that are worth mentioning in a blog entry so I'll be adding quite a few in the next days.

We tried Giada's Dirty Risotto recipe last night and B said "I can already tell that this will be a staple". He was right. It takes a little time to cook but it's worth it. Enjoy! (Great re-heated for lunch too)

Dirty Risotto
4-6 servings

5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 link (about 6 ounces) spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

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.

My hints:
- I used turkey Italian sausage which has GREAT flavor. B has even made the transition to turkey. We used 2 links too.
- I used dried parsley because I didn't want to buy a bunch of it for only 1T. I addeded it with the last scoop of broth to let it soften.
- B hates mushrooms so they were emitted in our version. Just as tasty without them.
- I used prosciutto instead of pancetta because a recipe later this week required prosciutto. They are similar enough and it worked well here. We just tore it into small pieces.