Risotto alla monzese

This is a close up view on a dish of risotto alla monzese (risotto Monza's way; Monza is a pretty town on the outskirts of Milano).

Here the recipe!

Risotto alla monzese

Ingredients (for 4 persons):

320 gr rice (the best quality for risotto is Roma or Carnaroli)
300 gr sausage
saffron: here it is sold in tiny bags, it contains abot 0,15 gr pure saffron in powder
2 litres meat broth (I use chicken broth)
a glass white wine
butter
parmisan cheese, grated at the moment

Preparation:

Heat the broth until boiling.

Melt in a large Teflon pan a bit of butter and put in it the sausage in small pieces, without skin (I press the sausage paste out of the skin). When the sausage is brown, add the rice and let it toast a bit. Add the white wine and let it evaporate. When the wine is gone, add the broth a bit at a time with a dipper. The rule for making risotto (any type!) is that the rice must cook absorbing the broth and never get too dry. It must not stick on the pan.

Rice will go on cooking for about 15 minutes, so add broth generously until taht time is almost over: then you will let it dry up a bit.

When the rice is cooked, turn the fire off and add some small pieces of butter and a generous quantity of parmesan cheese you have just grated. Leave the risotto for some minutes this way before serving: is this time the starch makes is even more smooth and flavoured. This moment is called mantecatura but I can't find the English word for it!

Buon appetito!