Ideas to change this up a bit - kblast's recipe inside

MaineWifey

H wants risotto sometime in the next couple of days.  He really doesn't have any other input other than that. 

I was drawn to this recipe:

http://www.dainty-chef.com/2011/11/tomato-and-sausage-risotto.html

However, H isn't a huge fan of italian sausage. Those are his words, he doesn't hate it, doesn't dislike it, he's just "not a fan".  I really don't know what it is that he doesn't like about sausage. He loves spicy food, he loves breakfast sausage, but isn't a big fan of Italian sausage.  I personally love sausage and think its a fantastic ingredient.

He's picky and will refuse to even try perfectly good dishes if he doesn't like the name of it or one of the ingredients. Chicken Marsala for example was "chicken with gravy" for quite some time.

So, I can either try with sweet italian sausage, rather than using the spicy that I like, and hope for the best. 

Or I can try a different type of meat and season it myself, rather than letting the sausage season it.  Pork? Beef?  What cut, and how would I prepare it?  I thought lamb could be good, but again, I'd probably have to make it and not tell him what was in it.  Because he says he doesn't like lamb.   

Thoughts and suggestions?

Jim&Jaime

I would simply make it as is and go from there. Sometimes people have things in one preparation that they don't like in another. This might be the case with the sausage.

moreace01

I'm sure it would be fine with chicken as well.

ETA: I actually didn't like italian sausage until recently because of the fennel.

I often don't tell my H what is in things to avoid a freakout. And tell him he can pick out the stuff he doesn't like.  You know, or he could just cook himself (he'd end up eating frozen pizza every day of his life).

maeghan21

Unless I want to change an ingredient, I lie lie lie. After a few times I'll tell DH the true ingredient. If his meat tastes a little funny, like lamb, I tell him it's oil and I marinate it a little. If he pushes I'll throw out a few spices or herbs he isn't really familiar with and he ets over it and likes it. After a few years he has accepted lamb, but won't with cream cheese, even though he sees my blog and knows I use it most things he loves!  If you want, try the sweet this time and then I'd he likes everything else about the recipe, next time go with the spicy.

adelerose

Make it with the Italian sausage, but maybe use a mixture of sweet and hot sausage for different flavors- he might like it. Other options might be pancetta or chorizo- super different flavors but still similar textures to sausage to hold up in the risotto. So many times in the past 9 months that we've been living together, I've cooked things that H "says" he doesn't like and ends up liking!