Butternut Squash Risotto With Spinach And Toasted Pine Nuts Food

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SPINACH AND TOASTED PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add about 3 1/2 cups squash in even layer and cook without stirring until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer squash to bowl and set aside.
• Return skillet to medium heat; add reserved squash fibers and seeds and any leftover diced squash. Cook, stirring frequently to break up fibers, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan and add vegetable broth and water; cover saucepan and bring mixture to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain bare simmer.
• While broth mixture is simmering, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add 4 ounces baby spinach and cook, covered, over medium heat, until leaves begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter (or margarine) in now-empty skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add onions, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, strain hot broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan and discard solids in strainer; cover saucepan and set over low heat to keep broth hot.
• When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth and half of reserved squash to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.
• Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Turn off the heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter/margarine, Parmesan, sage, and nutmeg; drain excess liquid from spinach and gently fold in spinach and remaining cooked squash. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Top individual servings of risotto with toasted pine nuts; serve immediately.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast until golden and caramelized at the edges, stirring at least once, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool.
• Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and maintain at a bare simmer.
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook just until it releases its fragrance, about 30 seconds, then add the rice and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a ladleful of stock; cook, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed. Add another ladleful; again, cook, stirring, until almost fully absorbed. Continue in this manner until the rice is creamy and al dente (tender but still firm to the bite), about 40 minutes--you may or may not use all the stock.
• Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the Parmesan if using and the squash, reserving some cubes for garnish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with the reserved squash cubes.

KABOCHA SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SAGE AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add squash; sprinkle with sea salt and sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add chopped sage, and cook until just tender, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle Sherry wine vinegar over; toss to incorporate. Transfer squash to plate. Wipe skillet clean.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet over high heat. Add chopped onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until onions are soft and deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes; set aside. Bring 31⁄2 cups water and vegetable broth to simmer in large saucepan. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
• Add arborio rice to onions in skillet. Stir until rice is slightly translucent, about 4 minutes. Add Sherry; stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup warm broth mixture; stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue adding broth mixture by cupfuls until rice is just tender but still firm to bite and risotto is creamy, stirring almost constantly and adding squash after 15 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 6 tablespoons toasted pine nuts. Transfer squash risotto to large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining toasted pine nuts over risotto.
• Top risotto with shaved Parmesan and crumbled Pancetta.

KABOCHA SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SAGE AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add squash; sprinkle with sea salt and sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add chopped sage, and cook until just tender, stirring often, about 8 minutes.Sprinkle Sherry wine vinegar over; toss to incorporate. Transfer squash to plate. Wipe skillet clean.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet over high heat. Add chopped onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until onions are soft and deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes; set aside. Bring 3 1/2 cups water and vegetable broth to simmer in large saucepan. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
• Add arborio rice to onions in skillet. Stir until rice is slightly translucent, about 4 minutes. Add Sherry; stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup warm broth mixture; stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue adding broth mixture by cupfuls until rice is just tender but still firm to bite and risotto is creamy, stirring almost constantly and adding squash after 15 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 6 tablespoons toasted pine nuts. Transfer squash risotto to large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining toasted pine nuts over risotto.
• Top risotto with shaved Parmesan and crumbled pancetta, if desired.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, combine the squash, 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring once., In a large saucepan, heat broth and water; keep warm. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Add rice; cook and stir 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in lager. Cook and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed., Add heated broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook just until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender. (Cooking time is about 20 minutes.) Add the butter, chili pepper, nutmeg and squash; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese. Serve immediately.

RISOTTO WITH SPINACH AND PINE NUTS (RISTORANTE LA BRISA)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pine nuts in one layer in oven-proof dish, and place in oven for 15 minutes until they become golden. Remove and cool to room temperature.
• In another pot, heat 4 cups water and cook spinach until limp. Remove, drain, squeeze dry and chop finely.
• In a pot, heat chicken stock to boiling, lower heat and keep at gently rolling boil.
• In a frying pan, heat 1 1/2 table spoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add rice and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until rice is warm to the touch. Add half-cup of boiling chicken stock, stirring constantly until rice absorbs stock. Add 2 more half-cups of stock in half-cup amounts, again stirring while stock is absorbed. (Liquid should be bubblinggently.) Add spinach at this point, when rice is half-cooked. Stir and mix.
• Add rest of stock, in half-cup amounts (total cooking time of rice is approximately 30 minutes). Five minutes before rice is cooked, add Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of butter, and mix. Just before serving, mix in all but 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts, sprinkling the top with remaining nuts. If desired, add more Parmesan to taste.

HOW TO MAKE A DELICIOUS RISOTTO WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425º F.
• Peel the squash, then dice it into ½ -inch cubes. This should yield about 4 cups of diced squash. Add the squash to a baking dish. Season it with the salt and pepper and drizzle it with the olive oil. Spread the cubes evenly and roast the squash for about 25 minutes or until the edges have started to caramelize, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and set aside. Because it shrinks during roasting, you should have about 2 cups roasted squash.
• While the squash is in the oven, prepare the other vegetables. Trim the leek, discarding most of the green part, but saving about two inches. Cut the leek lengthwise, wash it very well, then slice it into ¼-inch pieces. Cut the shallots from top to bottom, chop it into ribbons, and then into small ¼-inch pieces. Set them both aside.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer, cover, and keep warm.
• While the vegetable stock is simmering, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed, wide, and shallow pan or skillet. Add the sage leaves and fry them for a minute or two, until crispy. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper-lined dish.
• To the same skillet or pot, add the butter over medium heat and, once it is melted, add the leeks and the shallots, season with ½ tsp. of salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the rice. Toast the rice stirring well for about 2 minutes, or, until the grains begin to become translucent around the edges.
• Next, add the wine and the thyme, and cook slowly until the wine is nearly all absorbed; about 2 minutes.
• Add one ladle of the hot stock to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Add another ladle of stock and stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed again. Repeat this process until almost all the stock has been used and the rice is cooked, but still al dente. Remove the thyme leaves and discard. This process should take about 20 minutes.
• Once the rice is the desired texture, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the last tablespoon of butter. Fold in the roasted butternut squash. Taste the risotto to adjust for seasoning (this will depend on how salty your stock is). If the risotto is too thick, add a bit more hot stock, or, hot water. The consistency of a perfectly cooked risotto should not be thick and heavy, nor should it be "soupy". It should be "saucy", like a pudding, and it should slowly spread on the plate when you serve it in.
• To serve, spoon the risotto onto warmed plates, top with the toasted pine nuts, and serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese on the side.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Slice butternut squash in half; scoop out seeds and pulp in the lower center and discard. Place squash, cut-sides down, on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop squash flesh into a blender. Add tomatillo, onion, and garlic. De-stem and de-seed the dried chiles; add to the blender. Pour in 3/4 cup beef broth. Puree until fully integrated, 2 to 3 minutes. You can add a little more broth if the squash gets too dry, but don't flood it. It should be thickish. Set aside.
• Pour chicken broth into a 2-quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Heat canola and olive oil in a large, medium sided pan next to the hot broth over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Set a ladle and a stirring spoon out next to the stove.
• Add a ladleful of simmering chicken broth to the rice; stir constantly with the spoon, allowing it to simmer until broth has mostly evaporated. Continue adding ladlefuls of broth and stirring it in until most of the liquid has evaporated, adding the blended squash mixture after about 10 minutes of cooking. Continue cooking and stirring in broth until rice swells up slowly and is tender, yet firm to the bite, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in Manchego cheese and 1/2 of the pumpkin seeds.
• Pour into serving bowls and top with remaining pumpkin seeds and paprika; season with salt and pepper.