Monday, March 21, 2011

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe



I got this recipe in a great magazine, a special Italian edition of Fine Cooking.  This was delicious but there is one thing that is way way off.  The claim is that this recipe serves 2 as a main course.  Absolutely not.  Not two Italians who like to eat, that's for sure! This filled two very small bowls and I gave half of mine up to give to Steve bc he was still hungry.  So I'd say it serves two as a first course but definitely not a main course.  Double this recipe if you want to get 2 nice servings.  Aside from that this was so good!  The flavor was amazing and I love that I got Steve to eat broccoli rabe, one of my favorite things (even if it was a little sneaky)

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
The Best of Fine Cooking No. 36
Real Italian

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 lb. sweet italian sausage, skinned and crumbled
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1/4 lb. broccoli raabe, boiled for 5 minutes, drained, squeezed dry and coarsly chopped
2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer.  In a large, heavy-gauge saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Stir in the rice, toasdting just until it starts to sizzle and pop, about 1 minute.  It should not color.  Add the sausage and garlic.  Stir, breaking up the meat into small bits, until the sausage has lost its pink color, about 1 minute.  Pour in teh wine.  Stir occasionally, cooking until the liquid is almost gone, about 2 minutes.  Add just enough hot broth to cover the rice.  Lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer; stir occasionally.  When the likid is almost gone, add just enough hot broth to cover the rice, along with a pinch of salt and cayenne.  Check the risooto every 3 or 4 minutes, giving it an occasional stir to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan and adding just enough broth to cover the rice when the liquid has almost dissappeated.  After a couple of additions of broth add the brocccoli rabe.
Continue adding the broth and checking until the rice is just al dente, about 20 minutes from the first liquid addition.  Bite into a grain; you should see a small white pin-dot in the center.  Take the risotto off the heat and stir vigorously for a few seconds.  Fold in the Parmigiano, pepper to taste and a pinch of salt if needed.  Stir in a few tablespoons of broth to loosen the risotto, if you like.  Serve immediately.  

3 comments:

Claudia said...

I love this combination of flavors and often do it with pasta - will be fun to do this with risotto. Serving sizes are mere suggestions in my family.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Yum! I love the combo of sausage and broccoli rabe.

Dmarie said...

looks absolutely yummy!