Breakfast Risotto

A while ago, I bought Mr. Man a rice sampler from Lotus Foods. Ever since, he’s been asking me to make risotto. I was in no hurry—not usually too huge a risotto fan—but when I found this recipe on Epicurious, I had to give it a try. Risotto for breakfast—who knew?

The recipe calls for Arborio rice, but I used Carnaroli, which is a short-grain rice that is ideal for risotto. It results in a very creamy finished product, which is exactly what you want.

I should mention that this recipe uses a non-traditional method. It calls for all the liquid to be added at once instead of a little bit at a time. You could make this the traditional way if you want, but for me, I’ll take the simple way every time if it works. And this definitely works.

Here’s the modified recipe. I didn’t change it much—just used andouille instead of Italian sausage and added some fresh thyme. I will say that I’m not really sure what makes this “breakfast” risotto. A reviewer on the Epicurious website suggested that, for a more breakfasty dish, you could make this with breakfast sausage and serve it with a fried egg on top. That sounds like a good idea.

Breakfast Risotto
adapted from Breakfast Risotto

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
3 andouille sausages, casings removed
1 small onion, chopped
2 small bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup Arborio rice or Carnaroli white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pino Grigio)
3 cups chicken broth
Pinch of saffron threads
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Crumble in sausage. Add onion, thyme, and bay leaves. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice. Add wine; boil until liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add broth and saffron; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until risotto is tender, adding more broth if dry, about 18 minutes. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs; mix in 1/3 cup cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Pass cheese alongside.