I did something this weekend that I wasn’t prepared to do… I officially turned the heat on in my house. The temperatures dropped to the high 30s. It’s fall, it’s cold, and I’m ready to cozy up on the couch with comforting food.
The first thing that comes to mind to me for comfort food is always anything Italian. Growing up Italian and Jewish meant chicken soup for when you’re sick and pasta for when you’re sad.
There’s just really nothing that warms up the house like the smell of homemade marinara or meat sauce cooking on the stove. Since I’m too lazy to make a big pot of sauce (I also have the world’s best Mom who makes batches and sends them home with my sister and me for our single selves to use as needed), I decided to make something a little more exciting, risotto.
Italian Sausage And Asparagus Risotto
Risotto can be slightly intimidating to some, but I swear to you it’s easy. As long as you can read a recipe and have a solid 30 minutes to cook, you’ll be fine. Promise.
This recipe I pulled from my newest cookbook, Extra Virgin. It’s no secret I’m a fan of Cooking Channel and this couple is one of my favorites. Don’t worry, Ina Garten is still my number one.
I made this asparagus and Italian sausage risotto to warm my belly and indulge in some of my favorite flavors. Spicy Italian sausage is really one of my favorite things and I always cook up extra because I end up picking at it while it sits to be put back into the dish.
Be sure to add lots of parmesan at the end for flavor as risotto itself is bland and this dish relies heavily on adding great flavors.
This dish will be a great go-to for fall and winter and is super impressive to make for a dinner party. Once you feel comfortable making risotto, you can really add in whatever you like to create your own flavor profile with your favorite ingredients. Here’s how to make my recipe for Italian sausage and asparagus risotto.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of thin asparagus
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Pork sausages – about 1/2 lb
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 Cup risotto rice
- 1/2 c white wine
- 1 piece of Parmigiana-Reggiano rind
- 1 tbsp parsley
- Freshly grated parmesan for garnish
Method
Step One – Cook the asparagus
Boil 4 cups of salted water to a boil and steam asparagus for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve the asparagus water. Remove the asparagus and put them into an ice bath so they stay nice and bright.
Step Two – Brown the sausage
Heat olive oil and remove the sausage from the casing. Add to the hot pan and brown your sausage. Once fully cooked through, remove from pan and set aside.
Step Three – Saute the shallot
Saute the shallot until softened.
Step Four – Make the risotto
Once your shallot is softened, add your rice and and let it begin to toast a bit for 2-3 minutes. Then pour in wine and let cook for 3-5 minutes and reduce.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add cheese rind and slowly start adding the asparagus water 1/2 cup at a time. If you forgot to keep your asparagus water, no worries at all. Just use chicken broth and heat it on low heat so it’s warmed up a bit.
Once the rice has absorbed the water, continue to add more until your rice is tender. On the last addition or two of water, you can add in your asparagus and sausage so they begin to heat back up.
Step Five – Serve
Once everything is fully absorbed, serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Italian Sausage and Asparagus Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of thin asparagus
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Pork sausagees 1/2 lb
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 Cup Risotto Rice
- 1/2 c white wine
- 1 piece of Parmigiana-Reggiano rind
- 1 tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Boil 4 cups of salted water to a boil and steam asparagus for 5-7 minutes
- Remove from heat and submerge in an ice bath
- Heat olive oil and cook sausage. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Saute shallot until softened.
- Add rice and and let it begin to fry for 2-3 minutes
- Pour in wine and let cook for 3-5 minutes and reduce
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add cheese rind and slowly start adding the asparagus water 1/2 cup at a time
- Once the rice has absorbed the water, continue to add more until your rice is tender.
- Stir back in asparagus and sausage and serve.
