Dirty Risotto

Simmer broth in a medium-sized saucepan on low.

Cook bacon pieces in a large saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Add sausage and cook with bacon until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped onion, peppers, and mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring often. Add salt and pepper and cayenne, if using, to taste. Add rice and stir.

Pour wine into the saucepan and cook on medium low heat until wine evaporates. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth to the risotto and stir until the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Keep adding 1/2 cup of the broth in batches and stirring until each addition is absorbed. You only need to stir every few minutes. Towards the end of cooking, after about 25-30 minutes, taste the risotto to make sure the rice is done and is no longer crunchy or hard. It should be tender and creamy. Once rice is cooked, remove from heat and stir in parsley.

Sprinkle Parmesan on top and serve.

(This recipe was inspired by and heavily adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’s Dirty Risotto recipe.)