Risotto With Sausage, Red Wine And Peas

There are a plenty of cooking shows on free to air television these days but there are very few that is actually worth watching. Food Safari Italian, recently concluded on SBS Television is an exception (the other being Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey). The tummies have been asking for risotto after watching a dish cooked by Alessandro Pavon (original recipe and video click HERE ). The tummies proclaimed this to be the best risotto they ever tasted and I think it is a pretty good one! 

recipe adapted from Alessandro Pavon (Food Safari Italian)

serves 4 to 6

you'll need;

600 g of arborio rice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup of red wine, warmed

5 L of hot chicken stock

2 Italian sausage (I used chorizo), casing removed

150 g of peas

1/3 cup of chopped parsley

150 g of parmesan cheese, grated

2 cm slice of butter

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the ingredients.

Brown sausage meat and set aside.

Saute minced garlic and shallot with 3 tbs of olive oil til soften (do not colour) then add in the rice and coat the rice with the oil mixture, stir and toast for a minute or two.

Add the red wine and shake the pot til the wine has been resorb by the rice.

Add enough hot stock to just cover the rice, give it a good stir and let it simmer on low heat. Repeat the process til the rice is al dente. (return the sausage 10 minutes into the cooking process)

When the rice is almost done, add in the peas, butter, parmesan and chopped parsley and stir vigorously for a minute.

Check for seasonings and it is ready to be served.

Ladle some rice onto a plate and give it a shake; it should just flow flat to all directions, otherwise your risotto is either too dry or it is overcooked. Drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil.