The Fickle Hobbyist

I know, I know, I’ve been blogging a lot of recipes lately, and not so many crafts.  But what can I say?  Fall and Winter put me in a domestic mood and make me want to bake and cook.  Bear with me, you’ll be glad you did.  This recipe is SO YUMMY!

For the last cooking club, not only did I bring the candied apples I previously outlined, but I also brought this Butternut Squash Risotto.  Now, I had never made a risotto before, and while I knew it would take a lot of time stirring and adding the broth, I don’t think I realized just how much.  However, it was totally worth it!  The end result is a nice, creamy blend of rice and butternut squash with a hint of Parmesan.

I found this recipe HERE. There are some other really tasty looking recipes over there. Be sure to take a look around!

You’ll need:

6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt

(surprise surprise, my grocery store didn’t have the garlic chives or even regular chives, so we did without.  It was still delish.)

First, peel and chop your squash into bite size pieces.  I think if I do this again, I’ll cut them even smaller than I did.  Melt 4Tbsp of butter and sautee the onions and squash until the onions are translucent.  While you do this, heat your broth in another pot and keep warm over medium heat.

Add your rice to the onions and squash and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add your wine and stir constantly until the wine is either absorbed by the rice or evaporated.  Then, ladle broth over rice until it just covers it.  Cook over medium heat until the broth is absorbed.

Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.

During the last few minutes of cooking, add the remaining butter, 1/3 cup of Parmesan, and chives.  At this point it should be nice and creamy.  Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with remaining Parmesan.

This was a big hit!  I am looking forward to making it again, actually.  It was the first time I really had eaten butternut squash too!

Enjoy!