Riso e Luganega

A classic Lombardy dish, it uses a sausage that here is called Luganega and is the oldest type of salsiccia in Italy. It actually originates from the southern region of Basilicata, in ancient times called Lucania, and the sausage entranced the Romans when they arrived, so much they wrote about it, calling it Lucanica. It was taken back with them and diffused around the empire. In the north with the dialectal differences it became luganega. Whatever you call it, put together with the risotto in this dish, you'll be singing its praises, just like those ancient Romans did!

For 4-5 servings:

2 cups of arborio or canaroli rice
4 - 5 sausages (OR 2-3, see variation in directions), cook with a bit of wine
An onion and a clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of dry white wine
1 liter or so of vegetable broth or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Coloring from a tablespoon of tomato sauce or a bit of saffron

First, you want to prepare the sausages. Cook them in a pan, browning them on both sides. Add a little bit of wine or water, cover and cook until done. This will give each diner a full sausage. (A VARIATION: if you don't have that many, or simply want pieces of sausage instead of a full length, you can use instead of a few sausages. Brown them; remove them and slice them, then return the slices back to the pan to finish cooking.) Set aside, and start the risotto.

In a saucepan, add some olive oil or butter, which is more used in northern Italy, and saute the onion and garlic, stirring until soft. Add the rice, stir and cook a couple of minutes to toast it. Pour in the white wine, and stir.
Heat the broth in a separate pan, and when hot start ladeling broth into the rice. Stir each time, add more, until incorporated and keep adding broth while stirring. When it is all absorbed and the rice is nearly cooked, stir in the coloring -either tomato or saffron. Then add the sausage pieces; or reheat the sausages in their own pan.Stir in some grated parmigiano cheese.

Serve out the portions, adding a sausage to the top.