Making Sunday Dinner on a Saturday Night

After spending much of the day trying to restore sanity, Jason and I decided to spend a nice quiet evening at home Saturday night.  (Side note: you know you are getting old when you want to spend an evening cooking and hanging out rather than getting dressed up and going to a Halloween party with the rest of the “youth.”) Since we have plans to spend this evening eating chili and passing out candy to adorably dressed children at our friends Matt and Stephanie’s house, I decided to make a recipe I had been wanting to try out for Sunday Dinner: Butternut Squash Risotto.

Although I have chronicled my risotto making adventures in the past, I decided to try a slightly different technique that seemed to offer an alternative to the constant stirring of recipes past. This one, from Cook’s Illustrated, also made use of some distinctly fall flavors that seemed perfect for Halloween weekend. I ended up with a lot more squash than the recipe called for so I stuck the pre-chopped pieces in the freezer for future use.

All in all it turned out well (although be forewarned—if you don’t like sage you will not like this recipe!) and, according to Jason, I can add risotto to my list of specialties!

Butternut Squash with Sage and Toasted Pine Nuts
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 TBL olive oil
3 ½ cups of butternut squash cubes
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3 TBL butter
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
1 ½ cups dry white wine
2 TBL minced fresh sage leaves
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (depending on cheesy you like it)

1.Heat olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Add squash and cook over medium heat without stirring for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften. Transfer squash to a bowl and set aside.
2.Combine chicken broth and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, lower heat to a bare simmer and cover to keep warm.
3.In the same pan/dutch oven you used to cook the squash, melt butter. Once foaming has subsided, add onions and garlic. Add salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened (about 4-5 minutes). Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to turn translucent around the edges—about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed (about 4-5 minutes).
4.Add 3 cups of hot broth and half of the reserved squash. Simmer, stirring every few minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry (about 8-10 minutes).
5.Stir in ½ cup of hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Repeat with additional borth until rice is creamy and al dente. Turn off the heat. Add in Parmesan, sage, remaining squash, and pine nuts. Taste for seasonings. If desired, add up to ¼ cup broth to loosen risotto. Serve.