Adapted From The Washington Post
4 cups chicken broth or veggie stock
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for drizzling
2 links fresh sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (Optional!)
2 packed cups chopped or slivered radicchio (from 1 medium head, cored)
2 cups risotto rice
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups full-bodied dry red wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Heat the broth in a saucepan over medium heat; once it begins to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Combine the chopped onion and oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat; cook just until the onion starts to soften.
Meanwhile, if using sausage, break up the meat into small bits and add to the onion, stirring to incorporate. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the bits of meat have lost their raw look. Stir in half of the radicchio.
Once that radicchio has wilted, stir in the rice. Season lightly with salt and pepper; increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the rice grains are thoroughly coated with fat and are turning opaque. Add a cup of the wine, stirring until it is absorbed by the rice, then add the remaining wine, stirring. Let the wine cook until it loses its alcohol fragrance; with your nose close to the pan, you should smell the sausage more than the wine.
Now start to add the hot broth, a half-cup at a time, stirring it in each time and waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding more. As the rice starts to expand, you can increase the amount of broth in subsequent additions. Don’t let the rice dry out at any point: It should always have a slightly creamy, soupy consistency. Keep adding broth until the rice is done; you might not need to use all that liquid. The grains will still be separate and slightly resistant to the bite but bathed in a thick, fragrant sauce.
At this point, remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the remaining radicchio. Finally, stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes, then serve right away, garnishing each serving with a thin thread of olive oil.