Guest Post: M double M ~ Chicken Sausage and Pea Risotto for Two

I have a real treat for you all today!  Monica from M double M is guest posting for me.  I'm so excited.  Monica gave me my very first ever blog award, The Versatile Blogger, back in February.  It was the first time White Lights had gotten any kind of recognition.  I flitted around the house and immediately called Mike to tell him how elated I was.  That's how I met Monica.  After seeing the recipe she is sharing today I know you'll all want to run right over to M double M and see more.  You won't be disappointed!

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Hello! This is Monica from M double M, and I'm so excited and honored to be here today to share this recipe with you! Julie is so creative and organized (and I imagine busy!). I can't wait to try her recipe for stuffed pork chops with dijon butter sauce; I can't get them out of my head since I saw them last week, and I know the hubby would love them too!

Before I move on to the recipe, let me tell you a little bit about me: I grew up in a tiny town in upstate NY surrounded by forests and farms. I'm a country girl at heart, but after 8 years in California cities (San Francisco, then LA, and now San Diego) I'm learning to love city life too. I love cooking, crafting, and photography, and I love sharing my creativity on my blog. 

I have been cooking for as long as I can remember; both of my parents were good in the kitchen, and they always let me "help" with the meals. As I got older, the house rule was "if you don't like what's being served for dinner, cook for yourself." I used to be a picky eater, so I ended up cooking for myself a lot. I'm no longer a picky eater, but all of that experience paid off.

Okay, now that we aren't strangers anymore, let me introduce you to this fantastic risotto!

The inspiration for this recipe belongs to my mom and grandma. I love risotto, but rarely make it because of the intense amount of stirring that's required. Recently, my mom has gotten really into making risotto (I think she's been making it the last three times I talked to her on the phone!), and she's been making me crave that creamy goodness. 

My grandmother recently sent me a subscription to Cook's Country magazine (which is my favorite cooking magazine ever - it's put out by the same folks who make America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated). Imagine my excitement when I was flipping through and found a recipe for risotto to serve two that called for less than ten minutes of stirring!

Of course, I was skeptical that you could get truly creamy risotto with so little stirring, but I had to try it.  Cook's Country does extensive trials and testing to make each recipe perfect, and this one did not disappoint in the least. It was creamy and rich, and so easy to make! This is definitely going to become a regular dish in our house. Thank you mom, grandma, and Cook's Country!

When I made my risotto, I followed the method from the magazine, but I changed the flavors to suit the hubby's taste buds (the original has mushrooms and asparagus which are both no-nos for him). We both loved the way the flavors came out, but feel free to adjust to your taste buds. That's one of the best things about risotto - it's like a creamy blank slate of goodness to build your flavors on!

Easy Risotto with Chicken Sausage and Peas

Serves two

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups chicken broth (if you're using a can of broth, you can stretch it with a little bit of water)

4 tsp olive oil

1 package (12 ounces) fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced into thin disks

1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish

1 tbs butter

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Cover and set aside.
2. Over medium heat, saute the sausage in 2 tsp of olive oil until golden brown, then remove and set aside (depending on your pan, you made need to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding).
3. Saute the onion in the remaining 2 tsp of olive oil, with a pinch of salt. After about 2 minutes, add the rice. Cook for one more minute while stirring (the rice should start to get translucent around the edges).
4. Stir in 1 & 1/2 cups of hot broth to the rice, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 14 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir once, approximately halfway through.
5. Add in 1/2 cup hot broth and stir vigorously and continually until the liquid is absorbed (about 3 minutes). Add the peas, and the remaining 1/4 cup of broth. Continue cooking and stirring until risotto is creamy and rice is al dente (about 3 more minutes).
6. Remove from heat, stir in the sausage, then let sit for 2 minute. Stir in the Parmesan, butter, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, with extra Parmesan sprinkled on top. Enjoy!