This is another one of my all time favorite recipes. If I were on that show 'The best thing I've ever made' this recipe and the green bean casserole would be on my top 5 list. The green bean casserole I have only made once from scratch. Risotto is something I have been making for many many.
When I went to college and I invited people over for risotto and their response was 'wow you can make that?' I was very confused because to me it seems simple. I grew up with my mom making risotto fairly often. I don't mean every week, or even every single month, but over the years it adds up. I wasn't so much trying to learn how to cook it, but just helping out in the kitchen. From years of doing that I learned the proper technique. I loved the taste of it, so of course I has my mother give me the recipe when I went off to college.
We usually ate it plain because I used to not like vegetables. Once I started eating more vegetables, my mom started putting zucchini and yellow squash in it. Years later, I started loving butternut squash soup. I can't even pinpoint how exactly I decided to mix butternut squash puree with risotto. I know I was living in Connecticut at the time...maybe one of my roommates gave me the idea. All I know is I often made risotto and I often made butternut squash soup, and then one day I combined the ideas and now butternut squash risotto is my favorite kind of risotto! It is so creamy and has a great sweet and savory combination. It just melts in your mouth. Though I shouldn't, I could eat it every day.
What you'll need:
-1 butternut squash (you will not need the whole squash)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1 cup arborio rice
- 4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups chicken stock, low sodium, heated
- 1 tsp pepper
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
What to do:
1. Heat the oven to 375*F. To prepare the squash, carefully cut in half lengthwise. Then spoon out the seeds. Pour enough water into the sided baking pan so the water is ~ 1/4" deep. Lay one half of the squash on a sided baking pan with the hard skin facing up. When the oven is ready, put the pan in the oven. Cook until the skin bubbles and starts browning, which should take about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove and let cool when done.
2. Heat oil in a large tall-sided skillet or risotto pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for ~ 5 minutes; do not color the onions or garlic. Add rice and stir for ~3 minutes. Add in 1 cup hot stock and stir often. Do not boil, but keep at a low simmer. When the liquid is mostly absorbed into the rice, add 1/2 cup stock. Continue this process until most of the liquid is gone and you have tasted the rice for doneness (there should be no crunch or hardness).
3. Remove the skin from the squash. The skin should easily peel off with your hands or using a fork to get between the skin and the squash. Then mash squash with a fork or puree in a machine. Add 1 1/2 cups squash puree to the risotto mixture, reduce head to low, and stir in completely. Add cheese, pepper and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Recipe makes 4 - 6 portions.
Nutrition remarks:
Arborio rice is a white, short-grain rice. It is high in carbohydrates, low in fiber, low in fat, and fairly low in protein. Unless it is enriched, it does not provide much vitamins or minerals. Even when it is enriched, the amounts are still pretty low. So by itself, it is not the healthiest food nor is it the most unhealthy food. When you add high-sodium stock to it, its a little less healthy because of the large amount of stock you use. That is why I recommend using low-sodium stock. When you add in some vegetables, then you are getting more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So a big plate of plain risotto is not a nutritious meal, but it can be a component of one.
When I went to college and I invited people over for risotto and their response was 'wow you can make that?' I was very confused because to me it seems simple. I grew up with my mom making risotto fairly often. I don't mean every week, or even every single month, but over the years it adds up. I wasn't so much trying to learn how to cook it, but just helping out in the kitchen. From years of doing that I learned the proper technique. I loved the taste of it, so of course I has my mother give me the recipe when I went off to college.We usually ate it plain because I used to not like vegetables. Once I started eating more vegetables, my mom started putting zucchini and yellow squash in it. Years later, I started loving butternut squash soup. I can't even pinpoint how exactly I decided to mix butternut squash puree with risotto. I know I was living in Connecticut at the time...maybe one of my roommates gave me the idea. All I know is I often made risotto and I often made butternut squash soup, and then one day I combined the ideas and now butternut squash risotto is my favorite kind of risotto! It is so creamy and has a great sweet and savory combination. It just melts in your mouth. Though I shouldn't, I could eat it every day.
Butternut Squash Risotto
-1 butternut squash (you will not need the whole squash)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1 cup arborio rice
- 4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups chicken stock, low sodium, heated
- 1 tsp pepper
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
What to do:
1. Heat the oven to 375*F. To prepare the squash, carefully cut in half lengthwise. Then spoon out the seeds. Pour enough water into the sided baking pan so the water is ~ 1/4" deep. Lay one half of the squash on a sided baking pan with the hard skin facing up. When the oven is ready, put the pan in the oven. Cook until the skin bubbles and starts browning, which should take about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove and let cool when done.
2. Heat oil in a large tall-sided skillet or risotto pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for ~ 5 minutes; do not color the onions or garlic. Add rice and stir for ~3 minutes. Add in 1 cup hot stock and stir often. Do not boil, but keep at a low simmer. When the liquid is mostly absorbed into the rice, add 1/2 cup stock. Continue this process until most of the liquid is gone and you have tasted the rice for doneness (there should be no crunch or hardness).
3. Remove the skin from the squash. The skin should easily peel off with your hands or using a fork to get between the skin and the squash. Then mash squash with a fork or puree in a machine. Add 1 1/2 cups squash puree to the risotto mixture, reduce head to low, and stir in completely. Add cheese, pepper and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Recipe makes 4 - 6 portions.
Nutrition remarks:
Arborio rice is a white, short-grain rice. It is high in carbohydrates, low in fiber, low in fat, and fairly low in protein. Unless it is enriched, it does not provide much vitamins or minerals. Even when it is enriched, the amounts are still pretty low. So by itself, it is not the healthiest food nor is it the most unhealthy food. When you add high-sodium stock to it, its a little less healthy because of the large amount of stock you use. That is why I recommend using low-sodium stock. When you add in some vegetables, then you are getting more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So a big plate of plain risotto is not a nutritious meal, but it can be a component of one.
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