Tomato & Italian Sausage Risotto

Directions

1Place the diced tomatoes and their juices and broth in a medium saucepan over low heat and keep it at a very low simmer.

2

3Heat the oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking up any large pieces and stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and crisp at the edges, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

4

5Add the onions, a pinch of salt, and a couple of grinds of black pepper to the pan and sauté until the onions are fragrant and beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated with fat. Continue stirring the rice until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. You should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice.

6

7Pour wine into the pan and simmer, stirring constantly, until the wine has completely reduced and the pan is nearly dry, about 3 minutes. Begin incrementally adding the tomato and broth mixture one ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Wait to add another ladle until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed by the rice.

8

9Continue adding broth until the rice is al dente and the broth is creamy. Begin tasting the rice after about 12 minutes to gauge how far it has cooked. The risotto is ready when the rice is al dente (when it still has a bit of chew) and the dish has the consistency of thick porridge, about 20 to 30 minutes total (you might not use up all of the broth). If you run your spatula through the risotto, the risotto should flow slowly to fill in the space.

10

11Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and butter until melted into the risotto. Stir in the reserved sausage and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with additional grated Parmesan.