Simple Squash Risotto Food

SIMPLE SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Peel the squash and separate the bulbous seed-bearing section from the slender end. Chop the slender end into 2cm cubes, toss in half the oil, season lightly and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on the outside and soft in the centre, about 30 mins. Cut the bulb in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon - you can keep these to toast in the oven and sprinkle over salads. Chop the flesh into 2cm pieces. Warm the vegetable stock in a small pan, set over a low heat. Drop in squash and leave to gently poach.
• While the squash is roasting, warm a medium-size frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the remaining olive oil and half the butter, followed by the onion. Cover and cook for 3 mins until the onion turns translucent. Stir in the celery, garlic, herbs and a few turns of pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover again and cook for a further 2 mins. Increase the heat slightly and stir in the rice. Stir, uncovered, for about 5 mins - this will help to develop the toasty aroma of the rice without burning the veg.
• Turn up the heat, stir in the wine and let it bubble away to almost nothing. Reduce the heat and start adding the stock. Add one ladle at a time, stirring gently but constantly during each addition. The idea is to encourage the rice to absorb the liquid and soften, but also give up its starch to thicken the remaining broth. Don't stir too aggressively or you will end up with a pan of mush. When the stock has been absorbed, it's time to add the next ladleful and so on. It will take about 15 mins to reach the final ladle of stock. By this time the squash in the stock should have softened. Mash it up with the remaining stock and stir into the risotto.
• Turn off the heat, dot the top of the risotto with remaining butter and most of the Parmesan, cover, leave to rest for 2 mins, then stir through and check the seasoning. Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and sprinkle the roasted squash and leftover Parmesan on top. Serve with crusty bread and Sautéed spinach (below).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Break down the squash. Cut the stem end off the squash, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp from one half. Reserve the other half for another use. Slice the squash lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick, then slice crosswise into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Cook the squash. Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and keep at a simmer. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the squash; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cook until the squash is tender, 10 to 15 more minutes. Use a wooden spoon to partially mash the squash, pressing it against the side of the pan.
• Make the risotto. Stir in the rice and season with salt and pepper. Add a ladleful of hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring, until absorbed. (Don't add too much stock at once, and make sure it is hot; otherwise, it will stop the cooking process.) Continue adding stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more.
• About halfway through, add more salt and pepper to taste. The entire cooking process takes about 20 minutes; start tasting for doneness after about 15 minutes. If you've used all of the stock and the rice is not yet al dente, heat a few cups of water and add ladlefuls as you did with the stock until the dish is done. The risotto is done when you can drag the spoon through the center of the pan and make a clean line in the rice for a few seconds. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• Serve the risotto. Transfer to serving bowls or a platter and top with Parmesan and parsley. Never leave finished risotto in the pan-it will keep cooking into a mush.

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

Steps:

• In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until edges soften, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add rice; stir to coat. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add 1/2 cup hot broth mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more, 35 to 40 minutes total.
• Stir in Parmesan, sage, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Serve immediately, garnished with more Parmesan and sage, if desired.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place squash cubes into a steamer basket in a saucepan. Add water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to steam until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes), then drain, and mash in a bowl with a fork.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
• Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Boil the squash in a pot. You can also steam it.
• Heat the water in a pot and maintain it just below a boil.
• Warm a third pot to medium (last pot, I promise) and add the oil and onion. Coat the onion in oil and cook it until it is translucent, but not browned.
• If using dried thyme, add it now. Otherwise, the fresh thyme can wait until the very end of this whole process. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the oil. Pour in the wine and stir until it is all absorbed. Add 2 tsp sea salt. Add the heated water to the rice ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more.
• Use all 3 cups of water for a very creamy risotto, or only 2-2½ cups for a sticky risotto.
• When all the liquid is absorbed, the rice should be soft, but only just cooked (al dente). Then you can stir in the squash.
• Garnish your squash risotto recipe with cracked black pepper and optionally roasted pumpkin seeds for the best meal ever.

SIMPLE BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375. Cut the neck off the squash, then split both the neck and body in half. Remove the seeds and stringy pulp. Spread with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down into a baking dish and bake 45 minutes or until the flesh can be pierced by a fork.
• Allow to cool, then scoop out the flesh. You can mash the flesh for a heartier (but still creamy) texture, or puree it in a food processor.
• Place the chicken stock in a saucepan and warm.
• Heat a 3-4 quart saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining oil. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add rice and stir. Add warmed stock one ladle full at a time, stirring continuously after each addition until all liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock until you have used it all and the rice is soft. Add the squash and stir until heated through.
• Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped fresh parsley or Parmesan cheese, if desired.

WINTER SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Cut squash into medium size pieces, scrape out seeds and stringy flesh and discard. Steam cleaned pieces of squash for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Remove skin and mash smooth. Place stock in a saucepan and heat until simmering. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, fry bacon piece until crisp. Remove bacon, leaving grease in the pan. Crumble bacon for use as a garnish and set aside. Add oil and shallots and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 5 minutes over moderately high heat. Stir slowly but constantly. This will "toast" the rice and start to turn it slightly golden and feel loose and dry. You should start to hear the rice "click." Add the wine all at once to the rice and cook over fairly high heat to boil it down. When the rice is almost dry, stir in 1 cup of stock and mashed squash. Simmer until the sock is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time and stirring until rice becomes creamy while the grains remain separate and firm, but not hard in the center of the grain. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and rosemary and stir. Stir in the butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Place in individual serving bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese, crumbled bacon and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy! Yield: 4 to 6 main course servings
• Hints for success: The pot must be heavy on the bottom to keep the temperature even during the cooking process. Arborio is a short grained rice. It is very starchy, which is necessary to produce the desired result of a creamy risotto. Look for a fat opaque center in the rice, known as "LaPerla," this indicates a good starch content. Wine is the first liquid to be added to the rice. The first liquid will be absorbed totally and the acid in the wine balances the starch and adds flavor.
• Toasting the rice seals in the flavor. There should be about 3 times the amount of stock as rice. Make sure the stock is very hot. The stock is added slowly to the rice and releases the starch gradually, creating a creamy texture. Constant stirring is needed to produce the best results

SQUASH AND KALE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick, saute the onions in 2 teaspoons of the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
• Add more oil, if necessary, to prevent sticking.
• Using a wooden spoon to avoid breaking the grains, add the rice and stir until it is well coated with oil.
• Add the wine, if using.
• When it is absorbed (it won't take long), ladle in 2 1/2 cups of the simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes between each addition, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
• Add the squash and the kale and stir.
• Continue adding 1/2 cup of broth every few minutes for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until all of the stock has been added and the rice is tender but firm.
• Add the nutmeg, lemon peel, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve immediately.
• Enjoy!
• Variations:.
• In addition to or in place of kale, add any of the following:.
• chopped Swiss chard, cabbage, radicchio, or fresh fennel, chopped celery, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, green peas, green beans, or even seedless black grapes.
• This is great served with fish or chicken!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat broth until almost boiling, then reduce to a simmer.
• In a large skillet, heat butter. Add onions and cook 1-2 minutes, until soft. Add rice, and stir until well coated. Pour in wine and stir until it is absorbed by the rice.
• Add squash and 1 ladle of broth. Continue to feed broth to the mixture until the squash is softened and the rice is al dente.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.