Food Blog: Butternut Squash Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, and something I am naturally drawn towards whenever I see it appear on a menu.  Likewise, butternut squash is in my top three favorite fall vegetables, so I thought it might be a perfect union if I combined them both.  I did look for several recipes, but ended up doing a hybrid and working on my own.  



Risotto isn't so much complex as it is time consuming; it requires patience and a willingness to stand for about 30-40 minutes at the stove, watching and stirring carefully.  It can be easily messed up if you lose said patience, but as long as you keep an eye on it, it should turn out well.

Equipment you'll need: Large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, saucepan, wooden spoons

Ingredients

3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash
3 tablespoons of butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, more to taste
Black pepper, optional
1/2-3/4 whole diced onion (I like more onion, so I added 3/4)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (must be Arborio rice! A little goes a long way.)
6 cups chicken broth 
1/2 cup Parmesan shavings
Minced parsley

This is the place where a good food blogger would have included her mise en place. This is where I let you know that I don't actually have one. 

For a tutorial on the easiest way to cut a butternut squash, please reference this blog I wrote back in 2010. 

Here's a reference for how large my cubes/onion pieces are.

1. Start by adding 1 T of butter and your olive oil to your skillet and turn to high heat.  Add your squash and add salt and pepper (to taste, if you like).  Cook for about 5 minutes, until the squash turns a golden color, but isn't so mushy it's falling apart.

2. Remove your squash from the pan and put it to the side. Preferably on a plate. 

3. Add your broth to a saucepan and heat over low to medium heat; keep warm throughout the rest of the process.  If you skip this step, the risotto will take longer to cook - be warned!

4. Add another 2 T of butter to your skillet, over medium heat.  Add your onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes or so.  Add your Arborio rice and stir constantly, cooking for about 1 minute. Add in your 1/2 cup of wine and stir until absorbed.

Add this to "wine I won't buy again" - not for me, great for cooking!

5. Reduce heat to low.  Here's where the patience and lots of standing comes in.  In about 1-cup increments, you're going to start adding broth to your rice.  After each addition, you want to stir slowly and gently while the rice absorbs the broth.  Every time it appears the liquid is absorbed, add another cup of broth.  This continues on until your rice is cooked.

After first addition of broth - see how it's absorbing?

Add and stir, add and stir...

6.  Once you've added about 4-5 cups of broth, taste your risotto. Add salt and pepper to taste, if need be.  The consistency of your risotto, once cooked, should be tender but not mushy - just a little more tender than al dente, with a little bit of bite to it.

7. Once you've reached this consistency, add your butternut squash back in and stir gently.  At this point, you can also add your Parmesan cheese.

8. Add parsley, serve, and enjoy!

John loved it.