Friday, March 28, 2008

A Risotto for Spring

On Easter I made a risotto with Asparagus, the juice of half a lemon and about a teaspoon of dried tarragon. Everyone said it was good.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Squash Risotto

Over at Our Red House Kate was asking for recipes to use up her garden's bounty of pumpkins. Something that I make with some frequency is Squash Risotto. I usually use Butternut squash, because it is my favorite, but I bet pumpkin would be just as tasty. One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be vegetarian ( I use veggie broth), vegan (use olive oil instead of butter and no cheese) and gluten free. Here is the recipe I left in the comments, in case anyone is interested.

2 Tb Butter or Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
9 cups broth
2 cups Arborio rice (short/med grain white Italian rice)
1 tsp dried Thyme (or more to taste)
1 medium size winter squash or pumpkin
Shredded parmesan or pecorino to taste

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Lay cut side down in a baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water and bake at 400°F (200°C) until tender when pierced. Remove the skin.

Heat broth to a simmer. (My trick for this is I use my electric tea kettle to heat water because it is much faster, then I pour it in a large pot on the stove and add good quality bouillon cubes and just keep it simmering on the stove while I use the broth).

In a second large pot, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until it is translucent. Add the rice to the butter and onion and stir until the rice is partly translucent. You will see a little white dot on the rice grains, too. Then add a cup of broth and stir the rice until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth one-half to one cup at a time and stirring until the liquid is absorbed. As you get close to the end of the broth taste the rice and see if it has the texture you like. When it does stop adding broth. Stir in one teaspoon of thyme. Add the squash. Stir it in as much as you like. I've found that everyone who has tried it prefers some lumps of squash.

Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. This recipe makes enough for 4-6 adults.

Buon Appetito!