Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

(This post brought to you by Jen)

The first thing Marc ever cooked for me was risotto with wild mushrooms, asparagus, and goat cheese.  Actually, it was for a group of young teachers in our first year of teaching.  I remember he put us to work.  I was put on risotto stirring duty.  He kept telling me, "Stir in figure 8s and don't stop."  I stirred so much and I kept a constant figure 8 pattern that I don't think I could feel my arm for days afterwards (it was a BIG POT).  It is only fitting that the first thing Marc taught me how to cook was risotto (not the one below).  I will now share my favorite side dish with you.

Hardware Needed:
2 medium size sauce pans**
1 (well loved) wooden spoon
1 ladle
9x13 casserole dish

**I use one sauce pan and one saucier.  If you don't have a saucier - you need to get one!  If you don't know what it is, Google it!!!**

Ingredients Needed:
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups butternut squash (diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes)
1 shallot, diced small
2 cloves garlic, diced small
2 cups arborio rice
4 (plus) cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
4 chives, diced
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Toss the butternut squash with 1 tsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper in the casserole dish.  Roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until tender.  (I suggest doing this ahead of time unless you are an amazing multi-tasker in the kitchen.)  Remove from oven and set aside.  (NOTE:  I roasted a whole butternut squash and only used a small amount for this recipe.  I plan on using the rest in a soup, or eating as is - it's good either way!)

In one saucepan, over medium heat, warm the stock.  You do not want the stock to boil, just keep warm. 

(If you have never made risotto before or if you haven't yet learned it's trickiness, I suggest at this point - don't leave the kitchen or stray from the pan!!!)

In the other sauce pan (this is where I use my saucier instead), place 1 tbsp butter with 2 tsbp oil over medium high heat.  When the butter has melted, add shallot and garlic, cook until translucent - about 2-3 minutes. 

At this point, add arborio rice so that it can toast, stirring frequently about 2-3 minutes.  This is not adding color to the rice, it adds a nutty flavor that complements your finished product.  If you look at the picture below, you should be able to see there is some color variation in the grain.  Some looks white, while some looks like it has absorbed moisture.

From here, add in several ladles of stock until the rice is covered.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir, stir and don't stop stirring.  (I admit, Marc goated me into believing that it had to be figure 8s.  Hook, line and sinker.  Just stir the pot and make sure to scrape down the sides/bottom so that nothing sticks.)

When it starts looking like the liquid has been mostly absorbed (below), add a few more ladles. 

Continue this process about 25-30 minutes until desired tenderness of the rice has been reached.  Some chefs say that the perfect risotto takes 22 minutes - start to finish.  I think I am a little slower than a professional, so mine takes me about 25-27.  (The first time I ever made it completely on my own, it took me about 45 minutes!  But then again, I used a lower heat so I didn't mess anything up.)  I start tasting around the 20 minute mark for seasoning levels and doneness. 

Once it has reached its desired tenderness, gently fold in squash, chive and lemon zest.  This risotto alone can be a full meal, but I placed about 1/2 cup on my plate with some pan-seared scallops for my dinner and garnished with some more chive.

Enjoy!

Notes:

The risotto recipe above will be called my "Basic Risotto".  I chose butternut squash because it looked too good to turn down.  The Basic Risotto recipe can be modified for anyone's taste in vegetable.  You may see some recipes add a tbsp of butter at the end to "give the risotto a shine" (I don't do this)  or parmesan cheese. 

I included some variations below.  All variations get added at the completion of the Basic Risotto.

-Ham and pea (Dice ham and gently cook frozen peas in the stock.  Half of the peas get pureed in a blender with some stock and seasoning.)

-Asparagus and goat cheese (gently cook the asparagus in the stock)

-Wild mushroom and brie (saute mushrooms with thyme and garlic ahead of time)

-Broccoli cheddar (gently cook broccoli in the stock)

-Asparagus, portobello, parmesan (cook asparagus in stock, saute portobello in a small pan)

Let your imagination run wild!  Choose fresh, local vegetables that are in season!

When adding vegetables to the stock to cook, they impart some of their flavor into the stock - it completely adds another dimension to your dish!  When they are done cooking, remove from the stock and set aside in a bowl.  (This tip right here is one of my secrets - you now have wisdom as to why my food is soooooooooo good.  Keep it close to your heart!)

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions for variations!