Jamie used an Italian sausage called Cotechino, which wasn't available in my local store, so I took his advice and used sweet Italian sausage, roasting it with the onions. Next time I might pan-fry the sausage out of the casing instead. Jamie's picture shows the sausage a bit crispier than mine came out.
2 pints chicken stock
1 lb Cotechino or Italian Sausage
3 white onions (I used 2 huge)
1 1/2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 head of celery, finely chopped
14 oz Arborio rice
about a cup of dry white wine (or vermouth)
salt and pepper
2 1/2 oz butter
4 oz Parmesan cheese
handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Parmesan cheese, to serve
I'd wait until the sausage has been in the oven for at least a half hour, if not the whole cooking time (I would have roasted both for longer, but ran out of time). Now, heat a large pan or pot (a large wok is great for this) on medium and add the butter and oil, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook very slowly without coloring for about fifteen minutes. When the vegetables have softened, turn up the heat and add the rice. Keep stirring it as it starts to fry a bit, making sure it doesn't stick to the pan. When the rice becomes slightly translucent, add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring until the alcohol has evaporated and the liquid has absorbed into the rice.
Add a ladle full of stock and a good pinch of salt to the risotto and stir until it has been absorbed into the rice. Keep adding ladles of stock, waiting until each has been absorbed until you add another. This is what makes the risotto so creamy and delicious. Now, peel and chop your onions, reserving 1/2 an onion cut in half for a garnish (you can keep these quarters warm in a 300 degree oven while you finish the recipe). Peel the sausage out of the casing and crumble it. Add the chopped roasted onion and sausage after about ten minutes of adding and absorbing stock. After about fifteen minutes, the risotto should be almost cooked. Taste some to check. You want the rice to be cooked, but still have a bit of a bite to it. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, just add some boiling water.
Once the risotto is cooked, remove it from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan, and season to taste. Now add the thyme leaves. Cover, and let it sit for two minutes, as this is where the magic creaminess happens! Now serve with reserved onion pieces and extra Parmesan. Enjoy!