I know, it’s been awhile. Forgive me, the holidays (and the fact that I cooked for most family events) made it difficult for me to write as much as I wanted to. There was a blizzard-cookie baking weekend of madness before Christmas, an entire Christmas brunch and dinner on the Day, and another “holiday” meal a few days after. And you know what? I loved every second of it.
Well, except for the last meal that I had to prepare entirely with a steak knife. Do you know how hard it is to make potatoes au gratin with a steak knife? I felt like I was on Cuthroat Kitchen.
Before I get into all these recipes that made my holidays so lovely, I want to talk about my delicious moment of joy found with butternut squash risotto. One thing you should know about my winters is that it is cold here. I bop between my Chicago apt and my Wisconsin hometown pretty often and right now, there is a winter weather warning in both- I just can’t escape. So having lived my whole life in the wintery lands of the north, I have come to love all things roasted in the winter time.
Why Roasting is the best thing ever:
- Using the oven aids in heating your home (no joke)
- Roasting makes all root vegetables taste like heaven
- If you are in a climate similar to my own, you understand that tomatoes just aren’t the same in the winter. Neither are zucchinis or fresh herbs. But you roast those babies with some hand dried basil or sage from summer and you will forget that freshness matters.
Roasting the b-nut is just the start. Do not fear the risotto. Forget the fact that at least 1 person a season goes home on Top Chef for it. Forget the burners and the soggy rice makers. You must have patience. You must stir. And then, you will be a risotto queen.
Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
Feeds 2 people as a meal, 4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 1 C. arborio rice
- 1 butternut squash
- 3 C. chicken broth, preferably homemade, otherwise I use KitchenBasics (no gluten or yeast) *If using stock use a 2:1 water ratio
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp bouquet garni
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 C. parmesan
- a handful of roasted butternut squash seeds, or pepitas
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel butternut squash, scoop out seeds (save for topping), and dice. Place on cookie sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes until soft and slightly golden on the bottom.
3. Peel and dice the onion, put in large sauce pan with 2 tbsp butter. Cook on medium until onion is soft but not golden.
4. Add in rice and coat in butter. Stir for two minutes or until butter, rice and onion are all incorporated.
5. Add in 1 C. chicken broth and increase temp to medium-high. Continue stirring every so often.
6. When rice has soaked up the first cup of chix broth, add the second cup. Continue to stir every so often. Add in bouquet garni.
7. Allow the risotto to simmer and as the rice soaks up the liquid a second time, add in slowly the last cup. Continue to simmer and add in the parmesan. After about 5 minutes, add in the roasted butternut squash.
8. Scoop into a bowl, add pepitas and enjoy!
A Girl, Her Dog, and Her Kitchen 