Butternut squash risotto

My mission to get my 21-month old eating new foods continues. (She's winning.) As a foodie, I refuse to give in, so I simply blame teething. She did just get her bottom canines and the top ones remain a work in progress, so meals have been a challenge of late. One dinner last week consisted of a piece of bread with butter (she calls it cheese - whatever works), a few peas and some peaches. Rice, pasta and cheese remain on the good list, but meat in all its forms is suddenly (and adamantly) on the no list. But I like a challenge.

I was planning our dinner for Saturday and I'd settled on veal chops for me and Jeff and a beet and goat cheese salad with candied walnuts and arugula. But I needed a starch. A nice butternut squash caught my eye and I decided to try to make butternut squash risotto. And maybe, just maybe, wee one would partake. I mean it's rice, it's orange, and I was going to add parmesan cheese.

I was further encouraged when she eyed it in the pan and yelled "cheeeeeese!". Excellent. My plan was working. I scooped a small amount into her princess dish and blew on it til it cooled. She was ready, spoon in hand as soon as I put it down. She took a scoop put it in her mouth and... spit it out. Then she picked up the cherished princess dish, held it out to me and said "No." Another battle lost.

Don't let her opinion sway you though. This risotto is silky smooth, a bit sweet and pairs nicely with a grilled steak or chop. I tend to get risotto fatigue and just make mushroom risotto, so I'm happy to have found another variety we like. And I'll get little one to try it again... I may have lost the battle but...



Butternut squash risotto

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
5 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 sprig thyme
small bunch of fresh sage leaves, chopped (about 10-15 leaves)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the squash and stock to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Using a hand blender, puree the mixture. Alternatively, transfer to a blender or food processor. Return to pan and keep warm over low heat.

In another saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook until tender. Don't let the onion brown. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the rice and stir together, allowing the rice to cook for a minute. Add the wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. Add the sage and thyme.

Begin adding the reserved squash/stock puree about one cup at a time. Allow most of the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Continue adding liquid until rice is almost cooked through. It should be al dente. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Basil-prosciutto risotto

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Before I get to the recipe, let me tell you about yesterday. It rained. Not just a little, but lets-go-build-an-ark rain. The weather channel said we got 4-6 inches of rain - and it's still raining as I write this. I now have waterfront property and a small indoor pool in my basement which my husband battled until the wee hours. So, with a very wet image in mind, I tell you I bought veal chops to accompany my risotto and Jeff insisted on grilling them. Each time he came in after turning them, his jacket left a puddle on the floor and he had to dry his hair with a towel. But boy were they good. Almost 2 inches thick, I marinated them in garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest.

I used the risotto base recipe below and added prosciutto, basil, and paremsan cheese. The creamy texture of the risotto was excellent with the grilled chops. One of the beauties of risotto is its adapatability to different flavors. I happened to have a big bunch of fresh basil, but you can add whatever flavors you have on hand: mushrooms, pumpkin, pancetta, asparagus, peas... the possibilties are endless. I'm always looking for new combinations, so leave a comment with your favorite flavors for risotto!

To complete the meal, I served a salad of romaine and radicchio with celery, baby tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and a dressing I made with garlic, olive oil, sea salt, a few basil leaves, and lemon juice. Light and crunchy, it rounded out the meal nicely.



All in all, a fun and not-too-stressful challenge from the Daring Cooks. (We had enough stress with the weather!)

Basil -prosciutto Risotto

olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
rice 14 oz 400g (Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli.)
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L
NOTE: Ingredients above make the base - modify as you like from here
6 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
bunch of fresh basil, larger leaves torn



1.Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Saute until softened.

2.Add the rice and garlic and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.

3.Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.

4.Add enough stock to cover the rice by about an inch or two.
5.Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.

6.Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .

7.Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage. Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.

8. Stir in the prosciutto and cheese.

9. Just before serving, stir in the basil.



Chicken Stock

1 large chicken about 4 pounds
2 onions, halved
2 sticks celery
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. peppercorns
2 bay leaves
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice

1.Wash the chicken and place in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil

2.Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface

3.Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil

4.Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours

5.Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!

6.Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters

7.Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be. 
The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don't need for later use.

If it's good enough for the princess of Thailand...

...it's definitely good enough for me and my husband (on a rainy Wednesday night). Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that I once again turned to the culinary wonder that is the Bistro Laurent Tourondel cookbook. This book simply does not disappoint. (and how do the months go by without making a visit to one of Chef Tourondel's restaurants???) This time I opted for the Lemongrass Rock Shrimp Risotto. Why not? We love risotto, we love shrimp, and we love Thai food. This one had to be good... and it was!




The intro for the recipe explains that Chef Tourondel first prepared it for the Princess of Thailand while he was working at the Four Seasons Bangkok. Not bad! It was a bit involved so I made the sauce a day ahead, right to the point of straining it, then I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. I didn't have rock shrimp so I used jumbo shrimp. The combination of flavors and textures were simply delightful. Madras curry powder, green curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, Thai Basil. YUM! You can find the complete recipe online: Lemongrass Rock Shrimp Risotto. Don't be intimidated - you might have to swing by an Asian market for a few ingredients, but it's well worth the trip.


I did make a few modifications. I cut the sauce in half. And instead of 2 cups of Arborio, I used 1 1/2. I also stirred the chopped Thai basil into the risotto to bring out the flavor a bit more. To serve, I scooped the risotto into the middle of the plate and then ladled the sauce around it.


This makes 9 recipes I've made from this cookbook and we have loved everyone. Who told Chef Tourondel exactly what we like??? Or maybe it was just my mother-in-law who had a keen sense for that - after all she gave me the book for Christmas.


Now I'm off to give the book another flip through to find my next adventure. In the meantime, tomorrow at our house, leftover risotto!