I met Maybe Corpaci a few years ago, when I was adamant that I was going to be a fashion photographer. Yes you heard me! Just two years ago I would never have thought (in my wildest dreams) that my career path would end up in food.
Maybe worked at the wildly popular and very well known Elle magazine South Africa. I was a photographic assistant to the incomparable fashion duo, Elford De la Foret at the time and surprisingly, Maybe and I connected over food.
In retrospect, I should have already known then that the stars were aligning into a shape of a crockery pot. Needless to say, all these years later; Maybe and I decided to do a little cook for you.
Maybe is a fiery Italian women that is fearlessly beautiful and knows her way around the kitchen. When I asked her what we would be cooking, a singular booming word was the reply, Risotto!
Now, I might be many things, but certainly not one to argue with an Italian who wants to cook the elusive risotto and show me the ropes.
So here it is.
Believe it or not, I over salted it at the end; so watch out for that. The salsiccia sausage and the broth both have plenty of salt, and coupled with the Parmesan, leave the dish perfectly seasoned.
A rookie error on my part, never to be repeated.
However, having said that, allow your guests to season for themselves if they are so inclined, but caution them accordingly.
A simple, "Put down the salt Grandma!" should suffice.
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 150 grams salsiccia sausage
- 1 cup risotto
- ½ a cup of white wine
- 1 liter beef broth
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 4 wild mushrooms (shitake) sliced.
- 3 knobs of butter
- 40 grams of Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Chop the onions finely and add to a casserole pot with your olive oil and soften. Make sure the pot has a lid.
Remove the sausage from the skin and break it up with your fingers. Add it to your onions and fry until golden brown.
Add the risotto and fry on a medium to high heat until the grain becomes slightly translucent.
Add ½ a cup of white wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. You want the alcohol to evaporate.
Add your beef broth one ladle at a time. Keep stirring. As the liquid absorbs add more broth feeding your risotto. Your cooking time should be 15-18 minutes.
At the 13-minute mark add a tablespoon of broth to the teaspoon of saffron in a separate bowl. Let the saffron steep for 3 minutes. Add the saffron to the risotto.
Slice the mushrooms and fry with a little butter in a separate frying pan over a high heat until golden brown.
Add the mushrooms to the risotto and fold through. Remove from heat and pot the lid on the casserole. Let the risotto sit for 3 minutes before serving.
-Melissa
