What's for Dinner?

Here's a quick one-dish dinner to enjoy with a crisp salad and some fresh fruit for dessert. The secret to perfect risotto, with firm grains and no stickiness, is adding hot stock as the rice cooks. Another tip for great tasting risotto is not to add salt until the very end, after the parmesan cheese, which contains lots of its own salt.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 to 5 cups best quality chicken stock
1 large leek, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sausages, minced
1 pound Arborio rice, about 2-1/4 cups
1-1/2 cups assorted herbs, such as parsley, mint, rosemary, sage, and basil, minced
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the stock to a low boil. In a large skillet sauté the leek in oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the sausage meat and cook until browned. Add the rice, and stirring constantly sauté for about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the hot stock and stir until the stock is absorbed. Add more stock, a little at a time, until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat, stir in the herbs and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

Photo courtesy of www.studio-due.it