Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Roasted butternut squash risotto

First, you've got your squash. It takes longer to peel and dice than you anticipate. Butternut's a tough nut to crack!
Then you have your olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar, some fresh chopped sage (not shown) a pinch of salt and some pepper to toss the squash with before you roast it in a 400-degree oven for an hour. You'll also need a cup of arborio rice. Some pine nuts, toasted. Four cups of chicken broth (not shown).
Sautee some onions and garlic and set them aside, then brown a couple of cut-up chicken breasts in the same pan and set them aside. Then throw your rice in, yes, the same pan (you may need to add a little more oil or butter) and sautee it for a couple minutes until it's translucent. Add a splash of hot broth. Stir. Add more broth. Stir. Add more broth. Stir. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Eventually, all the broth is absorbed, and your rice is nice and fat but still al dente. Mix in all your fixin's, along with a little more fresh sage, and voilà, butternut squash risotto!
If I had thought to toast the pine nuts first, this would have been a one-pan meal. I roasted the squash on aluminum foil on a baking sheet, so that pan stayed clean. Old, pre-dishwasher habits die hard.

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