Fall Butternut Squash Risotto

11/13/2013

When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, you think of comfort food. You think creamy, rich, savory, decadent. Nothing on that table should be light or diet... This is one of the very few days of the year when you allow yourself to indulge and eat your way into a self induced food coma. This butternut squash risotto gives you all those wonderful Thanksgiving feelings... it warms your soul, it makes you forget all the bad days of the year, it makes you believe that peace is really possible in the world... Except, its really not all bad for you! Seriously... the creaminess comes from the risotto itself and some chicken broth... the only "bad" things are a little olive oil and a little butter. AND risotto is gluten free! Lets get started!

Servings: 2
Total Cook Time: 45ish minutes

ingredients:

1 whole medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion (minced)
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
1 cup arborio rice AKA risotto
1/4 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
3-4 cups chicken stock
Tons of shaved parmesan cheese
Scallions for garnish
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Cut your butternut squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds and guts!
Foil up your baking sheet, brush oil on the inside of your squash and then season with salt and pepper... they will look like so... gorgeous color don't ya think?

Now flip over your squash, face down, and stick in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes until tender and ready for scooping.
Meanwhile, grab 2 medium sized pots. Fill one pot with the chicken stock and set to medium heat and allow for that to heat up and hang out.
The second pot will be for everything else. Add the olive oil and butter and allow for the butter to melt in with the olive oil.
Add minced onion. As you will see, my onions are not finely minced, I do enjoy a thicker cut of onion but I would recommend mincing it up smaller for people who might not enjoy that at your dinner.
Saute the onions for a couple of minutes and add the garlic. Season with salt & pepper.
When you smell that amazing fragrance fill your kitchen, its time to add the rice/risotto. Stir it in with the onions and garlic. You will notice the rice become thicker and a bit translucent.

Now you can pour in your wine... and have the leftover wine for yourself because you are AMAZING!

Once the wine is absorbed you can begin to ladle in the stock one scoop at a time. Keep a close eye on it.... once the ladle of stock is absorbed, add another, and so on and so forth until the rice is tender but still has a little bit of a bite to it AKA al dente.
While thats working, take out your squash from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before handling it. Looks even more gorgeous roasted!

When your risotto is ready turn off the heat and you can begin to scoop out the squash and toss it in with the risotto.
Season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste and mix in most of the cheese.
When plating, top the dish with more cheese and some scallions.