Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Pepper Risotto

SausagePepperRisotto marsfoodservices image

Ingredients

  • 1 qt BEN’S ORIGINAL® International Grains® Arborio Rice
  • 2 oz-wt Butter
  • 1 cup Onion, minced
  • 1 ½ Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 3 qt Chicken Stock, 190°F
  • 1 ¾ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • To Taste Salt
  • 3 lb Sweet Italian Sausage (out of the casing)
  • 1 qt Roasted Red & Yellow Pepper Strips, drained
  • 1 cup Red Wine
  • 1 cup Parsley, chopped (minced)

Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Pepper Risotto

Makes: 24 Servings

Direction

  1. Add butter, garlic and onions to a large stock pot. Bring onions and garlic to a sizzle over medium-high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes or until soft. Avoid color.
  2. Add sausage and brown in the pot. About 2 minutes.
  3. Once sausage is cooked, add risotto and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, completely coating the rice with the fat in the pot. Continue stirring for about 30 seconds, gently cooking the rice and avoiding color. Deglaze with wine and reduce until the bottom of the pot is almost dry, stirring while allowing the wine to reduce. 
  4. Add peppers and enough stock to fully cover the rice and bring to a boil, gently stirring so the rice will not stick to the bottom of the pot. 
  5. Reduce heat to a simmer. Allow the stock to be absorbed by the rice. During this process (about 15 minutes), there should be a little amount of stock just above the surface of the rice the entire time; if it goes below, add enough stock to bring the liquid back above the surface. Continue stirring so the rice will not stick to the bottom of the pot. There may be extra stock left over so it is not necessary to use all of it. Cook until the rice is fully cooked but still has a toothsome bite. Allow the risotto to be loose. 
  6. Take the pot off the heat. Add cheese. Stir aggressively, emulsifying the cheese into the rice. The pot should be steaming. As the liquid emulsifies with the combined fats from the butter and cheese and the starch from the rice, the risotto will thicken to an unctuous, porridge-like consistency. Season with salt to taste.
  7. Portion ½ cup of cooked risotto onto plates. Tap the bottom of the plate to allow risotto to flow and settle. Garnish with more parmesan if desired. Garnish with parsley.