Mushroom & Sausage Risotto

By Chef James English

My wife has always told me that “risotto is a dish that you make for people that you love.” That’s because to do it right takes time, patience, and commitment. The trick for good risotto is stir the rice for damn near the entire time it’s cooking. The more you can agitate the rice - the creamier the final risotto will be. Oh - and use a wooden spoon - you gotta’ use a wooden spoon.

My wife makes the best risotto.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 45 min

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, separated in half

1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, taken out of casings, separated into 1” chunks

1 lb. Crimini Mushrooms, cleaned & sliced

1 cup Arborio Rice

1 cup Yellow Onion, chopped small

2 Tablespoons Garlic, chopped small

1 cup Dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis)

4 cups Toil & Boil Chicken Stock

½ cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated

½ cup Sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Tablespoon Salt

2 teaspoons Black Pepper

To Garnish Each Dish:

1 teaspoon Truffle Oil

¼ ounce Micro Arugula

¼ lemon squeeze a ¼ of a lemon over the arugula

Begin by measuring out all your ingredients.
In one pot, pour all of the chicken stock. Place on a back burner over medium heat.
In a separate pot over medium heat-high, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sausage. Brown the sausage.
When sausage is browned, remove from the pot and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and then the sliced mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes, until the mushrooms are caramelized.
When the mushrooms are nicely caramelized you may add the onions and garlic.
Cook until the onions become soft and translucent, but not browned.
At this point add the Arborio rice, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir the rice around to coat the grains in the oil in the pan.
Continue to cook the rice, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the rice becomes fragrant.
Now you can add the white wine.
Reduce the wine by half.
Use a ladle to add the hot chicken stock from the back burner into the pot with the rice. Add enough liquid to come up to the top of the rice.
Turn heat to high and simmer the rice. Stir the entire time the rice is boiling. As the rice cooks, it will absorb the stock. As the rice absorbs the stock and becomes dryer, add another ladle or two of stock. Continue this for about 30 minutes.
Test a grain of rice to see if it is done. It should be tender, but not mushy, and not get stuck in your teeth either.
When the rice is cooked, stir in the parmesan, cheddar cheese, and butter. Stir until all the cheese has melted
Portion into bowls and add the garnishes to each portion.