Sausage Risotto

I absolutely love holiday decorations, wreaths, Christmas trees, and lights inside and outside of a home. Unfortunately, I am terribly lazy and have not decorated my own place for the holidays for the past two years. Instead of hanging garland on my (non-existant) mantle, I decided to make a colorful dinner using red and green to celebrate Christmas and get me in the holiday mood.

Small dice onions, zucchini, red pepper and saute in olive oil in a pot or pan with deep sides until the vegetables are soft, but not brown. Once they are cooked through, add minced garlic and cook briefly. Season with freshly ground black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Sprinkle in arborio rice, stir and let the rice toast for about one minute. Add a small amount of chicken broth or stock, stir, and allow the liquid to evaporate. Repeat this process until the rice does not absorb any more liquid, keeping in mind you want the rice to be al dente--tender on the outside, with a slight bite on the inside.

While the risotto is cooking, slice chicken sausage first horizontally, and then vertically to make bite size pieces. Cook on high heat in a pan until charred.

Spoon the risotto into a bowl, and top with the chicken sausage (I used Trader Joe's roasted garlic chicken sausage). Sprinkle with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, if desired.

Okay, so it may not be enough to make up for the lack of a Christmas tree. But I cannot even begin to explain how warm and fuzzy this dish made me feel! Enjoy.