Yes, the weather has been nasty around here, windy, cold and wet. It snowed rather convincingly on Sunday morning but then settled back into a glum, clammy grayness. I wanted something warm, easy to eat and comforting for dinner, as you might imagine.

I had a little Arborio rice left, so I made risotto. I was going to do a plain mushroom risotto with a piece of salmon alongside, but wasn’t thrilled with our store’s fish selection (an unusual occurrence). So we went for one of our frequent emergency backups: kielbasa. It’s quick, easy and gives a great savoriness to anything you put it in. We use Hempler’s, a local brand.

The risotto started with some chopped shallot sauteed in my Le Creuset saucier, followed by a couple handfuls of sliced mushrooms.

Then the rice, stirred in and cooked until slightly translucent.

Then a good splash of vermouth, cooked down and followed by ladlefuls of the chicken broth that I had simmering on the back of the stove all afternoon. It was a good intense broth, giving the risotto a very noticeable chicken flavor. Once the rice was cooked through, I stirred in the sliced sausage and a bowlful of microplaned parmesan and let the risotto sit while I mixed the salad dressing.

We ate on the couch by the fire and drank a Côtes du Rhone.