Sausage yellow risotto — “risotto giallo alla salsiccia” — is a traditional recipe from Milan, Italy.

Ingredients:

• saffron (just a tiny bit) to give the risotto the yellow color
• risotto rice (for example, Arborio rice)
• one onion, one carrot, a bit of celery
• broth (preferable meat-based broth, beef broth is best)
• one glass white wine
• high quality Italian sausage, spicy or mild

Preparation (about 30 minutes)

First, as with any risotto, make the broth. You can buy the broth at the store or make it yourself. The broth should be very flavorful. It is the broth that gives flavor to the risotto. The broth is the most important part of the risotto. The broth for this recipe should preferably be a meat-based broth, chicken broth or even better, beef broth. You want an intense, full flavor the permeates throughout the risotto as you eat it. Keep the broth on the side, ready to be used. Make sure the broth is hot when you add it to the risotto (see third step below).

Second, cook the sausage. Buy a high quality Italian sausage, spicy or mild, depending on your preferences. Cook it through, set it aside and keep it warm.

Third, here is the preparation for the risotto. Start by sautéing finely chopped onions, carrots and celery. After a few minutes, they should have slowly melted and formed a uniform paste. Set them aside. Over very high heat, put the risotto rise with a bit of extra virgin olive on the pan. A cast iron pan works well. Cook the risotto over high heat for just a few minutes, making sure it does not burn. Then, add a bit of water. The water will splatter as the pan is very hot. When the water has evaporated, add a glass of white wine. Let it evaporate as well. Then, add the broth so that you can cover the risotto. Add back the onions, carrots and celery. As the broth evaporates, add a bit more, making sure the risotto never sticks to the pan. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked. It should take about 15 minutes.

At the very end, add the saffron. This is an expensive spice, but you just need very little of it. It gives the risotto its characteristic yellow color. It has a very mild, gentle flavor. Once you have mixed in the saffron and the risotto has become yellow, your are almost done. The last step is to add a bit of extra virgin olive oil (or butter!) and mix everything in. This step gives the risotto a creamy and uniform consistency. Cover the pan and let the risotto rest for a few minutes. Serve the risotto on a plate and add one or two sausages on top. Enjoy!