A perfect recipe to warm you up on a cold winter night. Use a short grain rice, specifically for risotto, as any other rice will not produce a creamy texture. Arborio rice is easily available in most super markets, whereas, carnaroli is a type you'll find at an Italian specialty food store. Once you've mastered making a basic risotto, you can create countless varieties using seasonal vegetables.
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| Mushroom & Butternut Squash Risotto |
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot finely minced
1 lb. cremini or portabello mushrooms - cubed into bite size pieces
2 cups butternut squash - cooked and cubed into small pieces
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Parsley for garnish
Directions
To cook the butternut squash, peel, seed and cube into 1" chunks. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on it and toss. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20-30 min until tender. You may need to toss it half way through, so the pieces do not burn. Alternatively, you may steam the squash or even microwave it.
For the risotto, bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and keep at a simmer. In a separate, heavy bottomed pan, on high heat, saute mushrooms in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil stirring frequently until they are nicely browned. They will exude their liquid and then start to brown in about 8-10 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.
On medium high heat add the other 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan and saute the shallots until soft - about 2-3 minutes. Then add the rice and "toast" the rice for 1-2 minutes, or until it becomes nicely coated with oil and has taken a pale, golden color. Add the wine and stir until the wine has almost evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup broth at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure almost all the liquid is absorbed before each addition. The amount of liquid required varies on the rice, you may not need all 6 cups of the broth. Risotto usually takes anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes. Start checking for the desired "al dente" texture after 15 min. Remove from heat and stir in the mushrooms, squash, parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning. Adjust seasoning according to taste. If the risotto is too thick, you can loosen it up by adding some more broth. Garnish with parsley and serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and more parmesan cheese.
