Tomato and Sausage Risotto

I love risotto.  All kinds of risotto.  Before I found this recipe I never thought of making risotto with tomatoes.  I always used some sort of broth (chicken, veggie, etc.) and added seafood or chicken and vegetables to it.  This risotto recipe was so good that I made it twice in 10 days.  I couldn't get enough of it.  I think Joe had three bowls of it the first time I made it.

A friend of mine told me about a food search engine called Foodily and I love it.  The first time I used it I found this recipe.  I had sausage defrosting at home and I didn't want to have pasta or sandwiches with it.  I turned to Foodily for some ideas.  It was the dead of winter and the perfect time for a thick risotto with sausage so when I saw this recipe pop up, I knew it was the one.  This is really a warm, hearty, stick to your ribs comfort food meal.  My favorite type!  It is almost 90 degrees here today so this isn't something that I will be making again for at least a few months but I am definitely looking forward to making it again.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed (I used sweet)
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tbsp. butter

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water.  Bring just to a simmer, keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add wine, cook, stirring until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.  Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a tome,waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat.  Stir in spinach, Parmesan and butter; season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.