Butternut Squash Risotto

It’s squash-and-pumpkin season.  I love this simple dish for its seasonal flavor and its bright color. It’s also a great way to make use of any leftover squash purée you might have on hand. If you don’t have any, simply follow our instructions below. I based this recipe on one that we ran back in 2009, but tweaked the seasonings and proportions a bit to suit my taste, adding nutmeg and a bit of brown sugar to enhance the squash’s sweetness. Happy fall!

Butternut Squash Risotto Total time: 4o minutes; hands-on time: 40 minutes Yield: 6 servings Note: If you don’t have any squash purée on hand, you can make some by simply peeling and seeding 1 medium butternut squash and cutting it into large chunks. Boil or steam the chunks until tender, then mash by hand or purée in a food processor. Ingredients:

• 7 cups reduced-sodium turkey or chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 3/4 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
• 1 1/2 cups puréed leftover squash (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Garnish: Sautéed diced squash (optional)

  Method: In a medium (2- to 3-quart)  saucepan over high heat, bring turkey or chicken stock to a boil; then reduce heat to low and let it  simmer. In a large (3- to 4-quart) saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter, then add onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes, being careful not to brown rice or onion. Add about 1-1/2 cups hot stock to rice/onion mixture and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 cup hot stock and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with additional  stock, 1 cup at a time, until the rice is barely al dente. You may not need all the liquid, depending on your rice. Add the squash purée and stir. Taste the risotto and add the brown sugar and any additional salt if desired.  Add cheese and stir until well incorporated.  

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