It’s an Almost-Fall day.  A slight chill in the air.  An absolutely-perfect A  perfect day to make risotto.  But since it is Almost-Fall, a butternut squash risotto seemed appropriate.

I love risotto.  The creamy goodness is the epitome of comfort-food.  And you can literally put anything in it  – from seafood to sausage, and any and every vegetable known to mankind.  And they’re easy to make – 20-25 minutes start to finish.  Real food on the table in 20 minutes without microwaving some processed food-thing.

Perfection.

Butternut Squash.  Another perfect food.  Roasted, baked, boiled, mashed, cubed, sweet, savory, soup, stew… The uses are endless as are the flavors it can take.

We’ll be seeing more of it this fall.  For tonight’s risotto rice, I used carnaroli, but arborio will work just fine…

Butternut Squash Risotto

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano)
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 6 cups hot chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
  • garlic powder
  • sage
  • salt and pepper

Coat cubed squash with olive oils, and sprinkle with sage, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Place on sheet-pan in 425° oven for about 25 minutes.  Set aside.

Saute onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic in 2 tbsp butter a risotto-style pan. (We use a heavy 30-year old Le Creuset braiser.) Cook until vegetables are wilted and fragrant.

Add 1 cup rice and continue sauteing until rice is slightly translucent.  Add 1 cup broth and stir until most of broth is absorbed.  Continue stirring and adding broth until about 3/4 has been added.  Add tomatoes.

Add roasted butternut squash, mashing some with spoon as you stir.

Continue adding broth until rice is tender.

Stir in parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.

I was rich, filling, and filled the house with the scents of autumn.

Perfect for the first cool night of the season.

I’m ready.

Oh.  And yes, the stove-top  is dirty.  It’s always dirty. It’s the down-side of cooking at home every night.

Oh well.