Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto With Brown Butter Sage Food

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH BROWN BUTTER SAGE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 F. Place cut butternut squash on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle with olive oil and some of salt (1/4 tsp of salt) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (if using frozen: first first steam in microwave to soften and then bake for 15-20 minutes).
• Once baked- mash half of the squash with a fork and leave the other half in cubes. Cover the remained squash that was cut in cubes with foil and reserve for later use.
• In a medium pot simmer chicken or vegetable stock on medium/ low heat.
• In another (larger) pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
• Add the wine and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently; adjust the heat as needed.
• Continue cooking the rice and stirring gently, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and allowing the rice to absorb it before adding the next 1/2 cup.
• Cook the rice in this way until tender, 20 to 25 minutes in all. The broth that hasn't absorbed will thicken by the starch from the rice.
• You may not need to use all the liquid, or you may need more broth or some water. The finished product will be a creamy mixture with the rice a bit 'al dente".
• Gently stir in the mashed squash and parmigiano cheese and take off heat. Dish the risotto into bowls. Add a couple of whole squash pieces on top and pour brown butter sage 1 tablespoon (or more) over the finished risotto. Serve hot! Mangia.

BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE BUTTERNUT SQUASH BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and place the squash in the pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the onion to the pan with the squash.
• Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 5 tablespoons butter. Heat until the butter melts and begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (The butter will begin to separate and sizzle. Take care to let it gently brown rather than burn. If the butter burns, throw it out and try again.) Stir in the sage. Drizzle the butter mixture over the squash and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to toss the mixture until the squash is evenly coated with the browned butter.
• Bake until the squash is tender and beginning to brown around the edges, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. Top the squash with the crackers and cook until the crackers are nicely golden brown, an additional 20 minutes.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE

Steps:

• For the roasted butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 425°F (210°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the cubes of butternut squash over the sheet, then drizzle with the olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly, then spread the cubes back over the sheet so they all sit in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the squash cubes feel soft when you poke them with the tip of a knife. (Start checking around the 12-minute mark because you don't want the cubes to turn to mush!) Broil for 1-2 minutes to give color, if desired. Remove from the oven and set aside. (You can prepare the roasted butternut squash in advance, let it cool, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)
• For the brown butter: Heat the butter in a small stainless steel saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until completely melted and simmering. Keep on cooking over low heat, swirling the pot from time to time. The butter will bubble up as the water evaporates, which will prevent you from watching closely over the color changing. When that happens, lift the pot off the heat for a few seconds, swirling it gently until the bubbles recede, then put back on the heat. The butter is ready when the milk solids at the bottom of the pot turn a light brown color and the concoction gives off a delicious hazelnut aroma.When the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat, pour in a small bowl, and let cool completely for 10 minutes.
• For the fried sage leaves: In a small nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the sage leaves, making sure they lay flat in the oil. Fry about a few seconds, keeping a close eye on the skillet, until the sage leaves shrink a bit. Carefully turn the leaves over and fry for a few seconds more, until they're dark and crisp. The leaves should not be burnt or black: lift the skillet off from the heat if the leaves seem to fry too quickly. Once done, transfer the leaves to paper towels to drain. Set aside.
• For the butternut squash risotto: Pour the vegetable broth in a saucepan, then add the minced sage. Set over medium heat and warm up just until simmering. Lower the heat to the minimum just to keep warm.
• In a large saute pan or a cast-iron braiser set over medium-low heat, add half of the brown butter (make sure to stir the brown butter before you spoon some to catch some of the browned bits), then stir in the olive oil. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the risotto rice and stir for 2 minutes, until the grains are translucent around the edges. Add the wine and stir vigorously while the wine is bubbling up, scraping down the bottom of the pan to loosen the caramelized bits. Simmer until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1 ladleful of the broth and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the broth is almost completely absorbed. Continue adding broth, one ladleful at a time, allowing each ladle to be absorbed before adding more.
• When there's about 1 cup (250 ml) of broth left, stir in the roasted butternut squash into the risotto. Add ½ cup (125 ml) broth, stir and keep cooking until the broth is almost fully absorbed. Stir in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season with black pepper, taste the risotto, and season with salt if needed. Stir in the remaining broth. The risotto should now be loose and super creamy. Cover and turn off the heat. The risotto can stand for about 5 minutes but should be served as soon as possible for the best texture.
• SERVING: Serve the butternut squash risotto in warm bowls. Garnish each serving with some of the remaining brown butter, then garnish with chopped pistachio nuts and additional lemon zest, if desired. Finish with some freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
• NOTE: You'll need about ¼ of a medium squash for this recipe. To prepare the squash, first peel it using a vegetable peeler. Then, slice the squash in half, and seed both halves using a spoon. Finally, dice the flesh until you have enough for this recipe. You can also dice the remaining flesh and freeze it in portions to use in future risotto or in other recipes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAGE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins until brown and soft.
• While the squash is roasting, prepare the risotto. Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
• Pour in the wine and simmer until completely evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy.
• At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir through the purée, then add the cheese and remaining butter and leave to rest for a few minutes. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of squash and the crisp sage leaves.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SAGE

Steps:

• Cut enough squash into cubes to make 3 cups. Coarsely shred enough remaining squash to equal 2 cups; set aside.
• In a 2 qt saucepan heat broth and 4 cups of water to maintain a simmer and cover. In a 5 qt dutch oven melt butter. Add squash chunks, pepper 2 tbls sage and salt. Cook covered stirring occasionally until squash is tender. Remove squash to a bowl.
• In same dutch oven add olive oil, shredded squash and onion cook stirring often until veggies are tender. Add rice and cook stirring frequently (2 minutes) add wine and simmering broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender but firm (approx 25 minutes) stir in diced squash, parmesan cheese and remaining sage. Heat through.