Mushroom & Sausage Risotto

When you're home alone do you have different behaviour than when your partner is around? The question makes me think of Carrie from SATC and her "Secret Single Behaviour" theory, demonstrated by her eating saltines with grape jelly while standing in her kitchen reading fashion magazines. I truthfully don't think I have any remaining "Secret Single Behaviour" left after 7 years with my husband. I actually think that I had lived alone for long enough before meeting and moving in with him that it wasn't that easy to hide anything that would could have been considered "secretive" anyway.
But nowadays when the rare occasion comes along that I'm alone for days if my husband is away I have developed a new type of SSB: I eat food that I know he hates.
Like tuna sandwiches! And mushrooms!

I bought myself four baby portabello mushrooms at the market this week anticipating a few lonely meals but really had no specific dish in mind for them. Thankfully a little quick browsing on one of my go-to recipe blogs provided me with the perfect use for them.

Adapted from Simply Recipes
Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound of Italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 pound of mushrooms (I used 4 baby portabello mushrooms), stems removed, dark gills scraped out, caps diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
3/4 cups dry vermouth, divided
1/4 cup butter
1 cup arborio rice
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock*
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
salt to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a pan and cook sausages. Let the pieces brown a bit on both sides before adding the mushrooms and herbs. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Add 1/4 cup of dry vermouth to deglaze pan, then set aside. In another pan melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is just about transparent. Add rice, stir and let cook for about 2-5 minutes (but don't let it stick to pan). Add 1/2 cup dry vermouth and stir constantly as rice absorbs liquid. Add the chicken stock little by little (maybe 1/2 cup at a time), stirring rice constantly. Once rice has absorbed all the stock, add mushrooms, sausage and cheese and stir well to combine. Taste and add salt as needed.

*I didn't end up using all three cups, maybe more like 2 1/2. Taste the rice as you near the end of the stock and if the texture is satisfactory then you don't have to use all the stock.