From Kyle Phillips,
Your Guide to Italian Food.
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Making Risotto is straight-forward: You sauté your herbs and flavorings in unsalted butter or olive oil, add the rice and sauté it too in the oil to lightly toast it, add a little wine, and, once it has evaporated, begin adding simmering broth or stock, a ladle at a time. When the rice reaches a creamy al dente stage add butter and cheese if you want, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and serve.

There are some variations, however. For example, if your flavoring is moist, and thus can't be sautéed, you can sauté the rice and onion in one pot, prepare the intingolo (sauce or flavoring) in another, and then combine the two.

Here we have the makings of two risotti:

• With sausages, done with the standard technique.
• With squash, which requires two pots.

For Both:

• Carnaroli Rice, which is short-grained. Arborio would also work, but I like Carnaroli better and it was on sale. How much? 1 1/2 cups, or 300 grams, per risotto (it's a 1 kilo package)
• Wine: I used a white, Riccardo Falchini's Vernaccia di San Gimignano -- use a wine you'll be happy to set on the table after cooking with it.
• Granulated Bouillon: Soup stock will be even better, if you have some handy
• Olive Oil
• 2 Chopped Onions, one red and white
• Minced Parsley
• Freshly Grated Parmigiano
• Unsalted Butter (butter is more traditional; now many prefer just olive oil)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For The Squash Risotto:

• Half a Butternut Squash, peeled and diced (about 3/4 pound, or 350 grams diced)

For The Sausage Risotto:

• 4 mild sausages, casings removed (about 1/2 pound)
• A small can chopped tomatoes
• A tube of tomato paste I didn't use