I’ve had about a half-pound of wild boar sausage in the freezer for a while, now, and decided it was time to bring it out.

We have a rule that I constantly break about using up things in the freezer. The main reason we don’t have an extra freezer downstairs is because I would fill it up – and still shop for more stuff. It’s just what I do. I see something that looks good or is on sale and a recipe starts formulating in my mind. Into the cart it goes. Having one freezer does keep me in line – a bit – but I really do need to be better at clearing it out before bringing home more goodies.

I had planned on making risotto with the Moliterno al Tartufo I picked up at Downtown Cheese last week but the kitchen gods conspired against me. I made it tonight.

Risotto really is one of the easiest dishes on the planet to make. It has a reputation for being difficult, but I think that’s just so Italian restaurants can charge a lot of money for rice.

It’s easy.

Risotto is also a wing-it dish at our house. We don’t use a recipe – we just make it.

Because it’s easy.

This is tonight’s version.

Wild Boar Risotto

  • 1 cup arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano, or other risotto rice
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 18 oz wild boar sausage
  • 2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped (riced)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup grated Moliterno al Tartufo cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • S&P, to taste

Chop onion and saute in a combination of butter and olive oil until wilted and starting to caramelize a bit. Add sausage, broken up and out of the casing. Add minced garlic. Saute until sausage is almost done.

Add 1 cup of rice and saute until the rice is translucent. Add 1 cup white wine and stir until most of it has been absorbed.

Heat the broth and add by half-cupfuls, stirring and waiting until it has been absorbed before adding the next. About halfway through, add the cauliflower.

Continue cooking and stirring, adding broth by half-cupfulls, until rice is fully cooked.

Stir in the cheese and the parsley. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Nonna cleaned her plate – that’s my barometer about how good a meal is.

Simplicity. Really.

And later on we have banana cake with a banana cream cheese frosting that Victor made while I was at work.

It looks really awesome!

More on that, later!!