Risotto Dell'Imperatore With Porcini, Sausage and Saffron

Method

1. Prepare the broth: cut 100g celery, 100g carrot, and 100g onion into large pieces. Halve 2 cherry tomatoes and 1 garlic clove (skin on). Bring 1.5 litres of water to a boil, add the vegetables and 30g dried porcini. Cover and return to boil, then add salt. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
2. After 20 minutes, remove the dried porcini with tongs and set aside. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, discarding the vegetables. Keep the broth warm.
3. Toast 360g Vialone Nano (or Carnaroli) rice dry in a pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring until the grains become white and reach about 50–60°C. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Remove the casing from 360g of Italian sausage (or salamelle) and crumble the meat with your hands.
5. Clean 360g fresh porcini mushrooms. Separate stems from caps. Dice the stems and slice the caps into pieces roughly the size of the sausage crumbles.
6. In a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add 1 crushed garlic clove (skin on). Immediately add the fresh porcini, season with salt, and cover. Cook on medium heat without stirring too much until the mushrooms release their liquid, then continue cooking until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms brown slightly. Add a ladle of broth, cook for 30–40 seconds, then remove the garlic. Set the mushrooms aside.
7. In a wok or large sauté pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add 1 small finely chopped onion. Sauté briefly, then add the crumbled sausage. Cook on medium heat for 2–3 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Season with pepper.
8. Add the toasted rice to the pan and stir well to coat the grains with the fat.
9. Turn the heat to high and add half a glass of dry white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate completely.
10. Add the cooked fresh porcini and the reserved rehydrated dried porcini. Stir to combine.
11. Add 4–5 ladles of the warm broth (enough to cover the rice). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, but handle gently to avoid breaking the mushrooms. Keep the heat high until it comes to a boil, then reduce to low. Cook, adding more broth as needed, until 2 minutes before the rice's recommended cooking time.
12. When 2 minutes remain, add 2 packets of saffron. Stir well, raise the heat to adjust the consistency. Taste and adjust salt if necessary (remember the cheese and sausage already add salt).
13. When the rice is cooked to your liking (al dente), remove the pan from the heat. Add a handful of chopped parsley (torn by hand, not cut) and 50g grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix vigorously.
14. Add 40g very cold butter (from the freezer). Stir vigorously to mantecare (emulsify) until the risotto is creamy and shiny.
15. Cover the pan and let the risotto rest for exactly 1 minute.
16. Serve immediately, garnishing with extra Parmigiano and parsley if desired.