Risotto with Sausage and Spinach

With the prep work done and the fixings assembled, risotto is fun to cook. Risotti make wonderful first courses or elegant one-dish meals. They can include meat, seafood, and/or vegetables. Ingredients are limited only by the cook's imagination. We are fortunate to have an Italian grocer here in New Hampshire who handmakes delicious Italian sausage, and I have added several risotto recipes to my repertoire to showcase it. This is one of my favorites.

RISOTTO with SAUSAGE and SPINACH

6 cups of chicken broth
10 oz. fresh spinach, stemmed, washed, and roughly chopped
¾ lb. mild Italian sausage (3-4), skins removed, roughly chopped
1 small onion or large shallot, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
5 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Simmering Risotto

1. Heat broth and keep simmering.

2. Melt 4 Tbs. of the butter in a deep, non-stick frying pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until onion softens and starts to color. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add sausage, breaking into chunks and cooking until raw color is gone and meat is browned.

3. Add rice. Stir 1-2 minutes until coated well with butter and heated. Increase heat to medium-high. Add wine (set a timer to 18 minutes at this point) and stir casually until rice absorbs wine.

4. Add a generous ladle of broth, stirring occasionally until absorbed. Continue adding broth about a cup at a time, allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more.

5. After about 10 minutes, stir in spinach. It will cook down quickly. After 18 minutes, taste rice for doneness. It should be al dente.

6. Remove pan from heat. Stir in remaining Tbs. of butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread and salad, if desired. 4-6 generous servings.

Kale Chowder with Sausage and Cannellini Beans

This hearty soup, loosely based on Portugal’s Caldo Verde, is so delicious, you won’t believe it’s good for you. Kale is the star here, puréed to form a colorful base for cannellini beans and Italian sausage baked in red wine. I've made a vegetarian/vegan version omitting the sausage and substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Scrumptious either way, and leftover soup, should you have any, freezes well.

KALE CHOWDER with SAUSAGE and CANNELLINI BEANS

1½ lbs. Italian sausage (5-6 sausages)
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken broth
1 large bunch kale or Swiss chard
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prick sausages several times with sharp knife or fork. Place in a single layer in a baking pan just big enough to hold them and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake another 15 minutes. Drain fat and add red wine to pan. Turn sausage and bake another 15 minutes. Turn again and bake 15 minutes more. (Total baking time 1 hour.) Remove the sausages to a dish lined with paper towels and let cool.

2. Warm the broth in a sauce pan. Heat olive oil in a 6-8 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and 1 tsp. salt. Cook 2 minutes. Add broth, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

3. Remove thick stems from greens. Wash greens, roughly chop, and add to soup pot. Cover and simmer another 45 minutes, until greens are tender.

4. Purée soup in batches in blender (or use an immersion blender) and return to pot. Stir in beans. Slice sausages into rings and add to pot. Simmer soup 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serves 8.

Potato Salad With Sausage and Mushrooms

A fabulous, hearty, man-pleasing dish perfect for a summer barbecue (and the ladies love it too!)

POTATO SALAD WITH SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMS

1½ lbs. small red potatoes
1 lb. sweet Italian sausages (about 4 sausages)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1½ Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper

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1. Wash potatoes and simmer in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender, 20-25 minutes. Let cool, then slice. Place potatoes in a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 . Place sausages in a single layer in a baking dish. Prick several times with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for 15 minutes more. Pour off accumulated fat and add red wine. Turn and bake for 15 minutes more. Turn again and bake another 15 minutes. (Total baking time 1 hour.) Remove the sausages to a paper towel lined dish and let cool. Slice into rings and add to potatoes.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add mushrooms and sauté over moderately high heat until they give up their liquid and most of it evaporates. Sprinkle on lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add to potatoes and sausages. Add the scallions. Toss lightly to mix.

4. Place mustard, salt, pepper, white wine and stock in blender and mix well. With the machine on, slowly add remaining cup olive oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate overnight.