Sausage Risotto with Herbed Breadcrumbs

The unusual signature dish at Osteria Pane e Salame in Cremona, Italy, pays homage to the restaurant’s name. Risotto pane e salame, or risotto with bread and sausage, is a delicious carb-on-carb creation that pairs the velvety creaminess of risotto with the crispness of toasted breadcrumbs. We developed a recipe based on the method taught to us by Lexie Garcia, chef at the osteria. In place of salamella di mantova, a local Lombardian sausage with mild garlic flavor, we use sweet or hot Italian sausage, and only enough to lend the rice meaty, porky flavor without weighing it down. Dry white wine supplies a touch of acidity, but as the cooking liquid, we use water, not broth, which allows the flavor of the rice, sausage, herbs and toasted bread to come through more clearly. We stir in a couple tablespoons of butter and Parmesan cheese at the end—an Italian technique called mantecatura, or blending—that helps develop additional creaminess in the risotto.