Pork Sausage and Tomato Risotto with Lemony Zucchini Ribbons

2 servings

Ingredients

• 9 oz. Italian pork sausage
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 roma tomato
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 1 tablespoon Tuscan heat spice
• 1 bouillon cube
• 1 zucchini
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Tuscan Heat Spice (there will be extra for future use)

• 3 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Remove sausage from casing; discard casing. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate, keeping as much oil in a pan as possible.

Meanwhile, wash and dry all produce. Halve onion; peel and thinly slice one half (save the remaining half for another use). Dice tomato.

Heat pan used for sausage over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, sliced onion, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes. Add rice and Tuscan Heat spice. Cook, stirring, until grains are translucent, 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomato and 1/2 cup water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan.

Meanwhile, measure 4 cups hot water. Add bouillon cube and 1/2 cup hot water to pan with rice mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until liquid is mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining water–adding 1/2 cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed–until rice is al dente and mixture is creamy, 25-30 minutes. (You may not use all of the water).

While risotto cooks, trim ends from zucchini. Using a peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into ribbons, rotating as you go, until you get to the seedy core; discard core. Zest and quarter lemon. Add a large squeeze of lemon juice to a medium bowl. Toss in zucchini ribbons, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon zest to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Once risotto is done cooking, stir in sausage, Parmesan and 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. Divide risotto between bowls or plates. Top with zucchini ribbons or serve them on the side, along with any remaining lemon wedges.

Recipe originally found on Hello Fresh.

Risotto usually takes a long time to cook, but this dish only takes about 45 minutes. The mix of the risotto being hot and the zucchini being cold gives a good balance to the dish.

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