SAFFRON AND SAUSAGE RISOTTO
I would start by saying: can we call it MONZESE RISOTTO? For those unfamiliar, monzese risotto is one of the most representative dishes of Brianza cuisine characterized by the presence of fresh Monza luganega, a soft and rather lean pork sausage, a true pride of the local gastronomic tradition.
A rich and tasty risotto that immediately wins everyone over, with the absolute protagonist being this rather lean, fine-grained sausage, prepared with pork meat, grana padano, and white wine: a real specialty with a soft consistency and distinctive delicate flavor.
As is the case with all dishes of regional traditional cuisine, there are numerous variations to the recipe, sometimes even differing from family to family, and here we come to the question and return to the initial query: saffron, for example, is an ingredient that not everyone adds, and it has sparked such a heated debate that it was mentioned in local newspapers and even at school in the city of Monza!
So not wanting to delve into this dissertation, I preferred to call this recipe SAFFRON AND SAUSAGE RISOTTO, while waiting for chefs, experts, and enthusiasts to agree because one thing I am sure of: if you taste it, you will fall in love!
So, all you have to do is read the recipe and prepare this tasty and flavorful first course with me, you will decide what to call it or not, it doesn’t matter much, and if you want, you can also choose not to add the Saffron and still cook an excellent Risotto with Sausage or perhaps better called WHITE MONZESE RISOTTO!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 738.05 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 65.61 (g) of which sugars 2.37 (g)
- Proteins 20.82 (g)
- Fat 41.24 (g) of which saturated 12.65 (g)of which unsaturated 17.14 (g)
- Fibers 1.46 (g)
- Sodium 791.74 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 2 cups water
- 1/2 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 leek
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups Vialone Nano rice (or Carnaroli)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 10 1/2 oz luganega sausage
- 1 packet saffron
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp butter
- to taste grated Parmesan cheese
Tools
- Pot
- Saucepan
PROCEDURE
First, clean the vegetables: peel the onion and use only half, remove the outer part and the tip of the carrot, clean the leek, then cut them all into chunks. Put 1 generous tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a pot and add the vegetables. Let them brown for a couple of minutes, then add the water and salt, cover with a lid and let cook over low-medium heat for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat but keep warm.
Prepare the ingredients: clean the shallot, then chop it finely; remove the casing from the sausage and cut it into pieces about 5/8 inch thick. Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a pot, heat it, and brown the shallot until golden. Add the sausage and let it brown for a few minutes until golden. At this point, add the rice and toast it until it changes color.
Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate to remove the alcohol. Add a ladle of the previously prepared broth and continue cooking the rice. Stir occasionally and add 1 ladle of broth at a time as soon as the previous one has dried up. A few minutes before the end, add the saffron, mix until it is completely dissolved, and the risotto has a uniform color. Once ready, remove from heat, add the butter and grated cheese, mix, then let it rest for 3 minutes with a lid. Remove the lid and stir vigorously before serving hot, sprinkling with more cheese or a grind of pepper to taste.
TIPS AND VARIATIONS
RECIPE VARIATIONS: This is one of the variations of the MONZESE RISOTTO recipe, typical of the city of Monza. “Purists” prepare it without saffron, but I prefer this version because I think this spice adds an extra touch. Of course, you are free to use it or not, decide based on your preferences: the recipe doesn’t change, just don’t use it.
RICE: To achieve excellent risottos, the rice should have an excellent cooking hold and must absorb the condiments well: therefore, ideal varieties are Carnaroli, Roma, Sant’Andrea, Vialone nano, Arborio.
SAFFRON: If you don’t have it at home or you don’t like its taste, you can easily do without it.
SAUSAGE: In this SAFFRON AND SAUSAGE RISOTTO recipe, I used Luganega, typical of the Monza area, soft, delicately flavored, very lean, and with an unmistakable taste. Luganega sausage is indeed prepared with finely ground pork meat, grana, and white wine and contains only 25% fat, so it can be considered a “lean sausage.” Alternatively, you can also use a classic sausage.
RECIPE VARIATIONS: This is one of the variations of the MONZESE RISOTTO recipe, typical of the city of Monza. “Purists” prepare it without saffron, but I prefer this version because I think this spice adds an extra touch. Of course, you are free to use it or not, decide based on your preferences: the recipe doesn’t change, just don’t use it.
RICE: To achieve excellent risottos, the rice should have an excellent cooking hold and must absorb the condiments well: therefore, ideal varieties are Carnaroli, Roma, Sant’Andrea, Vialone nano, Arborio.
SAFFRON: If you don’t have it at home or you don’t like its taste, you can easily do without it.
SAUSAGE: In this SAFFRON AND SAUSAGE RISOTTO recipe, I used Luganega, typical of the Monza area, soft, delicately flavored, very lean, and with an unmistakable taste. Luganega sausage is indeed prepared with finely ground pork meat, grana, and white wine and contains only 25% fat, so it can be considered a “lean sausage.” Alternatively, you can also use a classic sausage.
PRESERVATION
SAFFRON AND SAUSAGE RISOTTO is best freshly made, so I recommend preparing it in the right amount so that none is left over, as it tends to compact over time. If you have leftover risotto, put it in the fridge and maybe use it to make excellent RICE BALLS, the recipe can be found HERE.
ORIGINS AND LEGENDS OF MONZESE RISOTTO
Monzese risotto is a first course of Lombard tradition, which many associate with Milanese risotto. According to legend, this risotto was invented for the first time by a mother to distract an evil witch who roamed the woods at night hoping to catch children and eat them. The goodness of this risotto not only distracted her from the hunt but also left her exposed when the sun rose, allowing her to be captured. From this comes the tradition in the city of Brianza at the end of January to make a big bonfire and burn a straw witch, then immediately eat a generous portion of monzese risotto.
MONZESE RISOTTO: DOES IT INCLUDE SAFFRON?
The presence or absence of saffron in the original Monzese Risotto recipe is a hotly debated topic, so much so that it has been discussed in local newspapers and even in schools in the Brianza city. Arguments abound on both sides. According to a famous local chef, Vincenzo Butticé, the traditional recipe does not include saffron because monzese risotto is a dish of the peasant class who could not afford to buy saffron. Others say it’s a variant of the more well-known Milanese risotto with added sausage. While waiting for one version to prevail, the only certainty remains: the indispensable presence of Luganega!
