Oven Baked Sausage & Pea Risotto
This is my new favorite easy dinner, though it doesn't seem like a summery meal, it is great any season, and I like to use my fresh herbs now, while I still can.
I rarely make rice, because I always mess it up.
For some reason, it always sticks to the pot, or gets too mushy, or just never tastes right.
I am rice challenged.
How come no one ever told me you can make perfect rice in the oven?
Oh well, I can't be good at everything. :)
This is a great weeknight dinner, and you can add whatever you like to the pot.
It's not a traditional risotto, where you have to keep adding hot broth to the rice, stirring the entire time.
The original recipe calls for sausage, which goes so nicely with the peas, onions and bell peppers, but shrimp or chicken would be nice too, or asparagus or olives.
I have made it 10 times, switching out the herbs for whatever I have on hand in the garden.
This dish is a family pleaser and is gluten free, for all you GF peeps.
This reminds me of a good paella.
Oven Baked Sausage & Pea Risotto: (adapted from Lunch at the Shop) serves 4
1 cup of arborio or carnaroli rice (short grain Italian rice perfect for risotto)
4 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 good quality hot sausage links, casings removed, crumbled
1/4 cup of dry white wine
2 cups + chicken stock
cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup peas
fresh basil leaves, shredded
fresh parsley
sea salt & pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a heavy, oven-proof skillet w/ lid, heat the butter on medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic, red pepper and sausage meat to the skillet and cook about 4 minutes until the pink is out of the sausage meat.
Add in the rice and toast for 2 minutes.
Add in the white wine and let evaporate, about 1 minute.
Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil (make sure the stock is only 1" above the rice in the pot).
Place the lid on the skillet and carefully place in the oven.
Cook, undisturbed for 25 minutes.
Remove and add in the tomatoes, peas and herbs and place lid back on for 5 minutes to steam the peas and tomatoes.
Season with sea salt & pepper and fluff with a fork.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan to serve.
Let rest a few minutes and dig in.
This is the best way to make rice, and the only way I will ever make it from now on.
Comments
A longtime friend who used to live in Manila taught me to do regular rice many years ago. I recall that it worked better on a gas burner than an electric coil. I believe the electric coil focuses too much heat on the bottom of the pan and may cause sticking, though the Chinese like that brown stuck on rice, eating it separately from the regular rice. But I digress.
She would put her dry long grain rice in a pot, put in water to one index finger joint above the surface of the rice (about an inch and a bit). This would be brought to a boil on medium heat with lid off, and cooked on slightly lowered heat until the water level disappeared and dimples appeared on the surface of the rice. The lid went on, the burner turned off, the covered rice was left on the heat source, and fifteen minutes later there was rice, ready to eat.
I found this similar "recipe" which includes illustrations. My friend, an excellent cook, never measured the water but used the "finger" measurement described above.
http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2013/06/27/how-to-cook-perfect-white-rice-on-the-stove/
Sorry...
Serendipity?!
:o)
I also had issues with rice - until I ignored the directions and experimented. The winning approach for most dishes is to think "pilaf".
I saute dry rice (with onions, garlic, etc if desired) in a bit of preferred oil for a few minutes stirring frequently.
I then add boiling liquid in an amount LESS than called for in recipe, cover and cook over low heat for LESS time than called for in recipe. If recipe says cook for 30 minutes, I do 20. You can always add a bit of water to undercooked rice, but mushy is vile!
For basmati, ignore directions also. Just rinse rice a few times and boil in salted water to cover by a couple inches for 5-7 minutes till almost cooked, drain, and steam in pan for 10 minutes...so fluffy