Best Italian Sausage Rice Balls With Marinara Sauce Ragu Recipes

SAUSAGE RAGù

Steps:

• With the tip of a small, sharp knife, slit open the sausage casings. Crumble the meat into a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. If the meat is not rendering enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan as it begins to cook, add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the meat is frying gently, not steaming. Sauté, breaking up any large chunks, until all the meat has turned opaque (do not let it brown), about 5 minutes.
• Add onion, carrot, celery and parsley and stir. Drizzle in more oil if the pan seems dry. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have melted in the fat and are beginning to caramelize, and the meat is toasty brown. This may take as long as 40 minutes, but be patient: It is essential to the final flavors.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or with the side of a spoon. Bring to a simmer, then add thyme and rosemary and let simmer, uncovered, until thickened and pan is almost dry, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Mix tomato paste with 1 cup hot water. Add to pan, reduce heat to very low, and continue cooking until the ragù is velvety and dark red, and the top glistens with oil, about 10 minutes more. Remove herb sprigs. Sprinkle black pepper over, stir and taste.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until just tender. Scoop out 2 cups cooking water, drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Quickly add a ladleful of ragù, a splash of cooking water, stir well and let cook 1 minute. Taste for doneness. Repeat, adding more cooking water or ragù, or both, until pasta is cooked through and seasoned to your liking.
• Pour hot pasta water into a large serving bowl to heat it. Pour out the water and pour in the pasta. Top with remaining ragù, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table, if desired.

SAUSAGE AND PARMESAN ARANCINI

Steps:

• In a large straight-sided pan, heat the olive oil with the sausage over medium heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onions and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook until the onions are fully softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan and keep warm on low heat. Add the rice to the onions and increase the heat to medium. Toast the rice, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce until almost dry. Reduce the heat to medium, then add 6 ounces of hot stock at a time, stirring the risotto throughout. When the liquid evaporates, add more stock. Continue in this manner until the rice is al dente, then cook out most of the liquid until thick. Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan, chives and butter. Spread the mixture on a sheet tray lined with parchment to cool completely in the refrigerator, 3 to 4 hours, or up to overnight.
• Roll the risotto into 1-ounce balls, to make about 35 in total.
• Preheat several inches vegetable oil in a pot or fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Roll the balls in the flour, followed by the egg, then the panko. Fry the arancini in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the arancini to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Place the arancini on a platter and garnish with Pecorino-Romano and chives and serve with the spicy marinara and/or the Chimichurri, if desired.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Lightly dress the scallions with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, flipping as needed, until charred and wilted, about 8 minutes. Chop the scallions really well and add to a bowl with the remaining olive oil. Fold in the sherry vinegar, chives, parsley, shallots and garlic.