Butternut Squash Risotto

OMG this was good.  We made it for Food Friday lunch and I swear I’ve never tasted anything so delicious.  The entire Food Friday challenge; to use up all the Butternut Squash that Aunt Sharron brought from her organic grocer, has been a great opportunity to  love Butternut Squash.

Creamy with parmesan zing in every bite.  So delicious, conversation momentarily ceased as we reveled in flavor.

Before last Monday I’m not sure I could pick a butternut squash out of a squash line up.  Today, however, I have four new recipes that I CAN’T WAIT to make again; all of them featuring butternut squash.

Part of Friday’s challenge was to make dishes from the ingredients in our pantry so we made this without pancetta. 

It took almost an hour to get the rice al dente and we used 2-3 more cups of chicken stock than Ina calls for; just letting you know in case you’re a) in a hurry to eat or b) low on chicken stock.

Cheers and enjoy.

Butternut Squash Risotto

From Ina Garten

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, diced

1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and serve.