Il Cucinologo
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Risotto with Beer, Radicchio, and Sausage

17/11/2023

Risotto with beer, radicchio, and sausage is a dish rich in flavors that blend together to create a perfect balance between the bitterness of radicchio, the sweetness of beer, and the savoriness of sausage. Here’s how you could prepare this recipe, with an Italian touch.

Ingredients

  • 320 g risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
  • 1 glass of light beer
  • 200 g red radicchio
  • 200 g sausage
  • 1 small onion
  • Vegetable or meat broth, as needed
  • Butter, as needed
  • grated Parmesan, as needed
  • Extra virgin olive oil (EVO), as needed
  • Salt and pepper, as needed

Preparation

  1. Start by finely chopping the onion and cutting the radicchio into thin strips. Crumble the sausage by removing the casing.
  2. In a pan, heat a drizzle of EVO oil and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent.
  3. Add the crumbled sausage and let it brown until it starts to take on color.
  4. Add the radicchio cut into strips and let it wilt together with the sausage.
  5. Meanwhile, in a pot, lightly toast the rice with a bit of butter until the grains become shiny and translucent.
  6. Deglaze the rice with the beer and let the alcohol evaporate.
  7. Begin adding the hot broth a little at a time, stirring continuously and keeping the rice always slightly moist.
  8. Halfway through cooking, add the sausage and radicchio mixture to the rice.
  9. Continue cooking, adding broth as needed and stirring frequently.
  10. When the rice is al dente, adjust salt and pepper, then stir in a knob of butter and a generous handful of grated Parmesan to make it creamy.
  11. Let the risotto rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

It is recommended to serve hot, perhaps with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and a drizzle of raw EVO oil.

Trivia

The roots of risotto date back to Northern Italy and each region has its own version of this dish. In this case, the addition of beer is a modern interpretation that aligns with tradition, bringing an innovation in flavor that pairs well with typical ingredients like sausage and radicchio.