recipe: butternut squash risotto

I mentioned last week that our vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner was butternut squash risotto, cornmeal spoon bread, green beans with toasted almonds, cranberry sauce and caramel pecan pie. I've already posted the pie recipe, and I decided the spoon bread wasn't good enough to recommend to y'all. But I will endorse the risotto. And since it's almost December, if you're gonna make it, you better make it soon, while it's still fall.

I'm posting this recipe toward the end of the week in case you're looking for something to make over the weekend. This risotto is great, but it's kind of involved, so it's better to make when you have some time on your hands. Not exactly a weeknight-friendly meal.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups minced onions (about 2 small onions) 
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves) 
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Peel the butternut squash. Remove the fibers and seeds and set aside. (An ice cream scoop works well for this.) Cut squash into 1/2-inch cubes for a total of 3 1/2 cups. Reserve any remaining squash with the fibers and seeds.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add squash in an even layer and cook without stirring for 5 minutes until squash is golden brown. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and brown. Transfer squash to a bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

Return empty skillet to medium heat, add squash fibers, seeds and leftover diced squash. Cook 4 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to large saucepan. Add broth and water. Cover sauce pan and bring mixture to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a light simmer.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes until onions are soft.

Add rice to the skillet and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around the edges. Add wine and cook 5 minutes, stir frequently, until liquid is fully absorbed.

Strain broth through fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Throw the solids away.

Return strained broth to sauce pan, cover, and set over low heat to keep hot.

When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups broth and 1/2 of the reserved squash to rice. Simmer about 12 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes until liquid is absorbed and pan is almost dry. 

Stir in 1/2 cup broth and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat with additional broth until rice is cooked through but grains are somewhat firm at center.

Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cheese, sage and nutmeg. Gently fold in remaining reserved squashed. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup more broth to loosen texture of risotto.

Serves like 20. Or seems like it. Let's say it serves 8. We had risotto coming out of our ears for days.

Sidenote: I divided the risotto in half and only added cheese to Tony's half to keep mine dairy-free. He tasted both and said they tasted exactly the same.

P.S. As you can see, we are a Canned Cranberry Sauce Family. I know there are some Homemade Cranberry Sauce Families out there, and there's no judgement over here. We can coexist despite our fundamental differences. No shame.