Dirty Risotto

Watching Hell's Kitchen makes you wonder about the quality of food the chefs make. Gordon Ramsey always critiquing how "al dente" the Risotto should be or how overcooked the beef wellington is, or yelling "get out of the kitchen, you DONKEY!" LMAO. Making risotto is not that difficult as Gordon Ramsey says it is.

TIPS: Please note that you will be constantly stirring the risotto to evenly distribute the heat. Make sure you use Arborio rice…not long grain rice. Never wash the rice, every bit of the rice starch gives the creamy flavors and the key to making risotto is to aim for creamy texture. Perfectly cooked risotto should not be hard or stick to your ladle, nor should be "cheesy rice." If you want a richer risotto, stir in a quarter cup of heavy cream at the last step. It gives it an incredibly smooth texture…soooo tasty!!!

Dirty Risotto
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis on Everyday Italian and seen on Kelseys Apple a Day
Ingredients:
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 link (about 6 ounces) spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
*Optional: 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
*Optional: 1/4 cup frozen sweet corn
Directions:1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and sauté until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
5. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.
6. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan, corn, spinach, and parsley.
7. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve immediately. Serves four as a main course or six as a side dish.
Review: I love this recipe from Giada. This is truly an Italian comfort food dish! I served it along with a side of foccacia bread with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette.