September 2010 Meal #2: Mushroom Risotto w/Sweet Italian Sausage

I have been looking forward to making this meal for the past two months and I finally  have done so.  Meal #2 was Mushroom Risotto w/Sweet Italian Sausage.  The sausage I got from a vendor Jacobsmuhlens at our local Saturday Farmer's Market and they have several different varieties of sausages and meats including buffalo.

Ever since our honeymoon three years ago to Italy, I fell in love with eating risotto.  I always feared in making it myself since I heard it was "complicated" to make, the rice will turn into mush or it will be undercooked.  So anytime I'd see risotto on the menu when eating out I'd always choose that for my meal.  Upon starting this blog about my menu planning I finally decided to try my hand in making homemade risotto.  I asked around a bunch of my friends on a mommy site to recommend a recipe and Andrea referred me to allrecipes.com and gave me a recipe for Gourmet Mushroom Risotto.  It looked simple enough and since it had mushrooms (my faves) there could be no wrong.  I could even change up the measurements since the six servings listed wasn't enough for my "normal" cooking amounts. 

I followed the recipe to the "T' and it was actually really easy.  I heated up sliced sweet Italian sausage in a frying pan and added it to the risotto.  The outcome turned out really yummy, so much that I want to make it again later this week and a regular side dish to our meals.  Here's the recipe and a picture to share.

MUSHROOM RISOTTO w/SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.


2.Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

3.Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4.Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.