Risotto, the new way to meditate.

Tonight's dinner was fabulous! It was creamy and cheesy and spicy sweet and perfect. The minutes spent stirring the risotto at the stove were a great way to destress and zone out after a hectic afternoon at the doctor and then rush hour traffic. Recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazines, Nov 2006. I made some changes which I put in bold.

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Ingredients
Serves 4
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I didn't have any so I just added some of the tomato broth mixture at this point)
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach, (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 Cups) I only used about 5-6 oz and I didn't bother trimming stems
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water ( I used fresh chicken stock it made a HUGE difference). Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.