Mal oor Kos

RISOTTO – 5 Star rating – Good cooking skills required

Ingredients

250ml Arborio Riceor other short-grain rice
200ml White Wineinfused with 5 strings of Saffron
1 Medium Onionchopped
¼ Green Pepperjulienned
150g Portabella Mushroomsactually any mushroom of your choice will do fine, sliced
500ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1ml Chorizo Sausage 30Vegetable or Olive Oilsliced
30ml Butter
200ml Parmigiano Cheese ….if you can’tPecorino or any other salty Italian hard cheese will do fine., try to get the “real” thing
100ml Creamfresh or long life
Black pepper
Salt
15ml Parsleychopped

Instructions

Heat the oil on medium in a large pan or pot. Fry the sausage for a minute, remove and set aside. Add the onion and green pepper to the same pan and stir/fry for a minute of two until translucent. Add the rice. Mix in and stir for another minute. Add the saffron-infused Wine. Stir until all the wine is absorbed.
Start adding the stock. Do this a bit at a time (100 ml) or so. The rice needs to absorb all liquid before more stock is added. Continue to do so until all the stock is used up. DO NOT overcook the rice, get it to “al-dente” stage. (Cooked but firm and loose). Add the mushrooms before you add the last 100 ml stock. Mix and stir in.
Return the sausage to the pan, add the cheese, butter and cream. Mix through. Season with freshly milled black pepper, salt if needed, sprinkle parsley on top and some Parmigiano shavings. Serve immediately. (You wait for the risotto, the risotto must not wait for you…It will spoil the dish).
To make risotto is not the easiest of meals to prepare, but follow my “simplified” method and if not by the first try, you will get it perfect the second time. It is important not overcook your risotto, try it and if hard , cook a bit longer by adding just water or a bit more stock, before moving to step 3. This recipe delivers 4 medium portions.