There's a time of year when radicchio takes over. Not in summer, not in spring: it's in autumn, when the air cools down, that this bitter, fragrant vegetable stops being a side dish and becomes the star. Radicchio risotto is one of the most successful expressions of this season: a dish that speaks of the land, of patience, of carefully selected ingredients.
We prepare it with CLAI Dried Sausage (Salsiccia Passita), a cured meat that melts into the rice when cooked, releasing all its flavor and balancing the bitterness of the radicchio with a rich, enveloping note. The result is a complete dish that doesn't need much explanation: just taste it.
Radicchio and Dried Sausage Risotto: The Recipe
Before detailing the ingredients, a note on technique. Radicchio risotto has its own logic: the bitterness of the vegetable must be tamed with patience, not eliminated. Those who make it disappear completely lose the essence of the dish. The goal is balance, not neutralization.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 320 g Carnaroli rice
- 250 g CLAI Dried Sausage
- 300 g late-harvest Treviso radicchio (or Chioggia red radicchio, more accessible)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 glass of full-bodied red wine
- 1.2 liters hot vegetable broth
- 40 g cold butter
- 60 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Start with the sausage. Remove the casing and crumble the meat directly into a large saucepan over medium heat, without adding any fat. CLAI Dried Sausage is already well-seasoned and sufficiently fatty: it browns on its own, releasing its aromatic base into the pan. Once evenly golden, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Do not clean the saucepan: that base is the foundation of the risotto.
In the same saucepan, add a drizzle of olive oil and the finely chopped onion. Sauté over low heat for 6-7 minutes, until transparent and sweet. Meanwhile, wash the radicchio, dry it, and cut it into strips about one centimeter wide. Add it to the onion, increase the heat, and sauté for 3-4 minutes: it should wilt slightly but retain some texture. Set aside a small amount for final decoration.
Add the rice and toast it directly with the radicchio for 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the grains become almost translucent at the edges. Deglaze with the red wine and wait for it to evaporate completely before adding the first ladle of hot broth.
From this moment, it's classic risotto technique: add one ladle of hot broth at a time, stirring regularly. After 10 minutes, add the crumbled sausage you set aside. Continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes, until the desired consistency is reached. Carnaroli rice holds its texture well, but don't wait too long: radicchio risotto should be creamy, not watery.
Turn off the heat, add the cold cubed butter and Parmigiano, and stir vigorously for a good minute. Let it rest for 2 minutes with the lid on. Serve with the reserved radicchio and a generous grind of black pepper.
Why Dried Sausage Changes the Dish
Radicchio risotto works with many pairings: cheese, speck, walnuts. But sausage has an extra something, and not all sausages are created equal. CLAI Dried Sausage is a product that comes from a specific process: pork is kneaded with salt, pepper, and spices, stuffed into natural casings, and left to dry slowly. It's this drying process, the "passita," that distinguishes it from a common fresh sausage.
During drying, the meat loses moisture and concentrates its flavor. When cooked, the result is a more intense aromatic yield, with a spicy note that spreads through the rice without overpowering the bitterness of the radicchio. The fat melts evenly, contributing to that creaminess in risotto that is sought after and often not found.
The meat we use comes from pigs born, raised, and slaughtered in Italy, supplied by our member breeders. It's a control that begins with breeding and allows us to know exactly what we are processing. The supply chain is integrated: we do not buy meat on the open market, but follow every step from the stable to the curing.
Treviso Radicchio: Which to Choose and Why
When talking about Treviso radicchio risotto, an important distinction must be made. Treviso radicchio comes in two varieties: early, which arrives in October, and late, harvested between December and January after forcing in running water. The late variety is the most prized: it has narrower, crispier leaves, with a cleaner and more persistent bitterness. This is the one worth seeking out when in season.
Out of season, or if you can't find it, Chioggia red radicchio is a valid alternative: rounder, slightly sweeter, less bitter. It changes the dish's structure, not the principle. The important thing is not to choose watery radicchio or one that has lost its texture: when cooked, it falls apart and doesn't provide the crunchiness you're looking for.
If you want to follow grandma's radicchio risotto recipes, you'll often find a simple gesture passed down in many kitchens: the radicchio is stewed at length with onion and wine before adding the rice. The result is softer, almost a cream. We prefer the more modern version, with the radicchio retaining a slight crispness and a more present bitterness, but both approaches make sense.
Try Our Dried Sausage!
You can find CLAI Dried Sausage directly in our online shop, in approximately 500g packages, carefully shipped to your home. It arrives wrapped in food-grade paper, ready for cooking or to be enjoyed as is, thinly sliced on a cutting board.
