Risotto with Artichokes & Spicy Italian Sausage

Serves 4 - approx 60 minutes including prep

250 gr   Acquerello Aged Carnaroli Rice*

3+ c      Chicken Stock (or diluted D’artagnan demi glace*)

1 lb       cooked, ground spicy sausage (Late Bloomer Ranch, Driggs)*

1 small  diced yellow onion (approx. ½ cup)

2 T         olive oil, good quality*

1/2 c       red wine*

3 ea       De Carlo baby artichokes, thinly sliced

3 ea       De Carlo baby artichokes, thinly sliced and fried for garnish

¼ c        loosely packed chopped Italian parsley

2 T         butter*

1 c        finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Winter Winds Tomme* cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste*

*item available at Food Shed Idaho

Sauté onion, add ½ cooked pork, artichokes, and rice until coated in olive oil.  Add wine and reduce to dry. 

Add 1 cup stock, stir, cover, and reduce to simmer for about 8 minutes, until stock is absorbed but not dry.

Stir and add another cup of stock, cover for about 8 minutes, until stock is absorbed but not dry.  

Add the rest of the ground pork (for texture and flavor) and stock, cover for another 8 minutes.  Test rice grain doneness.  Taste to correct your salt and pepper.  Add more liquid if necessary or remove lid to reduce liquid.  The rice should be creamy, not soupy, or dry. 

Remove from heat, add butter, parsley, and cheese.  Stir, cover, remove from heat, and rest for 5 minutes; the rice will continue to cook resulting in no more white dots in the rice. 

Pan fry the remaining artichokes on medium heat until crispy.  You do not need to add any olive oil, because there is enough packed in between the leaves of this product.  This is your garnish along with more parsley, and cheese.

• Because this rice is aged, you do not need to toast the rice (which is done to encapsulate the grain and make it less starchy). This rice also reheats well.
• Make sure that all rice kernels are submerged and not leftover on the spoon or on the side of the pan, which could result in an uncooked kernel cracking a tooth.
• Test rice grain for doneness by crushing it on the back of the spoon with your finger. Do this a few times thru out cooking so you can gauge when rice is done.  Rice is ready to remove from heat when there is a small chain of about 5-6 white dots.