A recipe from my # 1 Amazon bestseller The Great Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour

“A culinary exploration of each area's unique contribution to healthy cuisine … served up with a dash of wit that made me laugh even as I took notes about what dish to try next.”
​Dru Pearson, author of Europe on a Dime

CARLOTTA'S RISOTTO WITH SAUSAGE
Carlotta Muti, Torino Discovery and EatWith, Turin, Italy
 
Of all the recipes gathered on the trip, this one has become my top favorite. It's so easy to make that it's become permanently ensconced in my repertoire. For omnivores I make it with pork sausage; for vegan guests I use a plant-based sausage substitute and skip the butter and cheese, adding more olive oil. Both versions get rave reviews. And while it's best eaten immediately, everybody loves the the leftovers, too.

“I prefer the longer grain of carnaroli rice; it holds its form and doesn't turn to mush. And I like the flavor,” says Carlotta. “But arbrorio rice is also fine. For the sausage, I use pork sausage from the town of Moncalieri, about 8 kilometers from Turin. But any good sausage, without the skin, will work.”
 
In metric measurements
80 grams of rice per person and 20 grams for the pot
1 small onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
90 grams pork sausage per person
1 sprig of rosemary
.75 liters of broth, homemade or purchased as liquid or bullion, with or without meat
1 glass red wine, traditionally Barbera
1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese

In US measurements  
½ cup of rice per person and a handful for the pot
1 small onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3.2 oz pork sausage per person
1 sprig of rosemary
.8 quarts of broth, homemade or purchased as liquid or bullion, with or without meat
1 glass red wine, traditionally Barbera
1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
 
Put broth on to simmer until needed later. In a large pot, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onion and rosemary. When onion is translucent and slightly brown, remove rosemary, add sausage, and stir. When sausage is brown, push to one side and add rice to bottom of pot; you want it on the bare, relatively dry bottom of the pan. Let rice sear for a few minutes. Then mix sausage and rice together and add one glass of red wine and enough hot broth to just cover the rice and sausage.

​Stir occasionally and add more broth if needed. If broth is too salty, add hot water instead. When rice is cooked al dente (that is, you can still distinguish all the grains and the grains still have some firmness) turn off the stove then add ½ to 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in cheese. Serve immediately, as reheated risotto changes in taste and consistency.

Paolo and Carlotta

​Carlotta’s Broth

"When I am in a hurry," says Carlotta, "I buy broth or use bullion cubes. But when I have the time, I make this broth."

¼ of an old hen (the old ones have more flavor), skinless
1 piece cow bone with marrow
1 piece of cow meat with bone
2 carrots
1 tomato
1 onion
2 celery stalks
Sage
Salt (a small handful or to taste)
 
Put all ingredients in a 5-liter pot and cook for 2 hours or  more; if using a pressure cooker, cook on hour. Degrease before using.



​​For more on Italian recipes, wine, and food lore, see my post Carlotta's Secrets for Cooking Italian Comfort Food and watch the video below.