Risotto with Italian sausages, capsicum, kale and mushroom

Risotto is comfort food and is a go-to favourite for us in the van. It's easy to make, ingredients can be flexible depending on what is in the fridge, and it can taste so good, especially when the weather is cool.

Servings

2

Time

Time to chop and prepare ingredients, then ~ ½ hour cooking time.

Equipment (main)

• Deep pan
• Large saucepan (for stock)
• Chopping boards and knife
• Spatula and wooden spoon (I find I use two stirrers with risotto because the rice tends to stick.)

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1x small onion, diced
• ½ red capsicum, chopped
• ¾ cup arborio rice
• cup of cheap wine wine
• chicken stock, ~700ml (2 x cubes)
• handful of mushrooms, chopped
• good bunch of kale, de-stalked and chopped
• 2x Italian sausages, cut into pieces
• parmesan, small pile grated (for a bit of punch)
• butter, 2 x knobs (for creaminess)
• pepper to taste

Method

Cooking risotto requires continual attention, so I prepare all the ingredients beforehand. Once everything has been gathered and chopped ...

1. Bring the stock to the boil while you are chopping ingredients. Turn the heat off once it boils.
2. Brown the pieces of sausage in a little oil over medium heat then set aside in a bowl
3. In good glug of oil, sauté the onion and capsicum until soft
4. Add the rice and cook for a few minutes, until the rice starts to become translucent
5. Add the wine and and stir continually until the liquid is almost gone. Moderate the heat so that it keeps simmering but not boiling too hard.
6. Add the mushrooms and kale and stir until coated, then pour in stock until mostly covered.
7. Stir continually and keep adding stock until the rice is cooked. 
8. Return the sausage to the pan in time for it to cook through before the rice is done.
9. Turn the heat off and mix through the parmesan and butter
10. Spoon into bowls and enjoy