Risotto con
Salsiccia
Lombard-style sausage risotto
Crumbled pork sausage flavors slowly cooked risotto rice, with white wine, hot stock and an off-heat butter-and-cheese finish.
Rice with crumbled sausage & grated cheeseSausage in the rice,
a Lombard first course.
Risotto con salsiccia combines rice with fresh sausage removed from its casing and broken into small pieces. The sausage seasons the rice as hot stock is added gradually. Butter and grated cheese finish the dish, giving it a soft coating without cream.
Sausage risotto is well documented in Lombardy, including the rice-growing Lomellina, and has versions elsewhere in northern Italy. The home recipe uses a mild fresh pork sausage, onion and white wine. Fennel seasoning depends on the sausage chosen and is not required. This is a substantial first course, best served as soon as the grains reach the right texture.
Explore by food: Meat · Rice & grains
Let’s make risotto con salsiccia.
Four first-course portions with mild fresh pork sausage and prepared chicken stock. The sausage is raw at the start, not a cured salami.
Four first-course portions from 320 g rice and 300 g raw sausage.
Heat and maintain the stock alongside the rice pan within the 45-minute elapsed cooking allowance.
What you’ll need
- 320 gCarnaroli rice
- 300 graw mild pork sausage, casing removed
- 100 gonion, finely chopped
- 15 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 100 mldry white wine
- 1.3 lprepared low-salt chicken stock
- 25 gcold unsalted butter, cubed
- 50 gParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
Stock heats alongside the first pan stages. Sausage and stock can both be salty, so season after the cheese is added. If using a different rice variety, follow its cooking time and judge the grain’s center.
How to make it
- 01
Heat stock and soften onion
Bring stock to a bare simmer in a saucepan. Heat oil in a wide heavy pan and soften onion over medium-low heat for 7–8 minutes without browning.
- 02
Brown the sausage
Add sausage and break into small crumbs with a spoon. Cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned. Spoon off excess rendered fat if there is a deep pool.
- 03
Toast and add wine
Stir in rice for 2 minutes, until hot and slightly translucent at the edges. Add wine and simmer for about 1 minute until mostly evaporated.
- 04
Cook with hot stock
Add stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and adding more as the previous addition is mostly absorbed. Continue for about 18–20 minutes until rice is tender with a slight bite. Check a larger sausage piece reaches at least 71°C/160°F. You may not need all the stock.
- 05
Finish off the heat
Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese. Rest for 2 minutes, taste for salt and pepper and add a splash of remaining hot stock if needed so the rice flows gently onto warm plates. Serve immediately.
More to discover…
SecondiAbbacchio alla Romana
Lamb braises with garlic, rosemary and white wine, then takes on a savory, lightly sharp sauce from anchovies and vinegar.
PrimiAgnolotti del Plin
Small pinched pasta parcels hold a fine filling of braised veal, pork and spinach, dressed simply with butter and sage.
AntipastiAntipasto Misto
Cured meats, cheeses, olives and preserved vegetables make a shared Italian starter, with bread for assembling small bites.