Dirty Risotto

I cooked for my two men again today (p.s. my brother just got engaged!!!!), and I needed something hearty but comforting. For me, there is nothing more comforting and warming than risotto. I already made them both spring green risotto, and it just wasn't a day for something that "springy" (neither of my men understood that - anybody out there understand the "springiness" of some food?). So I found this recipe from Giada, which had fantastic reviews, and I thought I'd try it out. I did end up adding significantly more meat since I wanted it to be the main dish and fill the boys. You wouldn't believe the amount of meat my brother used to eat when we were growing up. I actually remember him coming home from school and eating an entire package of venison brats for a snack! Seriously. You can't make that stuff up. Anyway, significant amount of meat is required when Cal comes over. Let me tell you, this dish was fabulous! Definitely a repeat. So the next time you have a beautiful fall day filled with football and meat-eating men, I absolutely suggest this recipe!

Ingredients

Mild Italian Sausage (not in the case)
4 oz pancetta
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp. Butter
3 Bell Peppers (red, orange, green), chopped
8 oz. mushrooms (already cut = less work)
1 lg Onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Aborio Rice
3/4 cup White Wine
5ish cups chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated

Method

What I have come to love about risotto is that the method for making it is pretty much the same whatever you put into it. You have to put some sort of grease in the pan, heat it up, cover the rice, add some white wine, and continue incorporating chicken stock gradually until the rice has soaked it all up. Easy enough, right?

Well here we go, melt the butter in the pan and add the garlic. Then brown the meat (both of them) in the pan. Once browned, add the vegetables.


Once they have been sauteed, add the rice. Make sure that it is covered with all of the juices. Add the white wine and stir until the rice has soaked it up. Add the chicken stock gradually until the rice is tender. I don't think I used all 5 cups of the stock this time, sometimes I use more than 5 cups. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as the cheese.

It's as easy as that! My goodness, I sure do hope you enjoy this dish in the near future.