Pasta Primavera is ubiquitous. Whether it’s respectfully made at an authentic Italian trattoria or butchered at the likes of Olive Garden, you don’t have to work hard to find it laden with spring vegetables. Such was the inspiration for this dish when my sons requested risotto for dinner over the long weekend.
Risotto Primavera
1 1/2 Cups Arborio Rice
32 oz. chicken broth or stock
1 bunch asparagus, lightly steamed, chopped
3/4 pound lamb sausage
1 small onion or shallot, chopped
Splash of light cream
The asparagus and the lamb, both harbingers of Spring, which is what Primavera means in Italian, are the stars of this dish. You could substitute regular Italian sausage, but if you can’t get perfect asparagus, save the recipe and make something else.
In a large saute pan, brown the sausage thoroughly and set aside. In the same pan saute the onion until soft and then add the rice. Toast for a few moments and begin ladleing the broth in one ladle at a time. Once the rice absorbs the liquid, add a second ladle full and continue until the liquid is gone or the rice is al dente. This should take about 35 minutes over medium heat. Stir, stir, stir! Don’t let the rice stick.
When the rice is almost done, return the sausage to the pan and add the asparagus. A few moments before serving, I gilded the lilly this time and added about 2 tablespoons of light cream that I happened to have on hand. Here’s a picture a few minutes before serving.
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Risotto Primavera, with asparagus and lamb sausage |
With this we opened a bottle of the 2010 Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio which I reported on here: Castello Banfi Pinot Grigio. Suffice to say, nothing has changed much with this wine since last month. I will add however, that the wine held up to both the flavors of the asparagus and the robust nature of the sausage very well. The acids also cut right through the fat from the cream in the risotto. Delicious!
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2010 Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio |
John, I found this interesting!
From: http://oldvinezinfandel.com
The Tuscan Vines recently reviewed the 2009 Dry Creek Vineyard Somers Ranch Zinfandel
Tuscan Vines has this to say about this red wine:
In the mouth, the wine is medium to full bodied and seemed to put on weight with air time. The bold fruit flavors come through and are surrounded by the acids that keep the wine lively. As Zinfandels go, this can be a little pricey at $27, but the wine stands out as being unique, and worthy of the tariff.
Click here to read the review in its entirety.
Dennis,
Yes, I picked up on that too, there URL came up in my stat history. I talked to the guy over there and he seems genuinely nice. I thanked him for the press, etc..
Ciao,
J