BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Butternut squash may be my favorite food. Unknowingly, I loved it as a child in squash pie, my favorite pie that my grandmother always made just for me. Risotto on the other hand is rather new to me. It is something that I just started making in the last few years. I already had my own recipe when I can across one by Giada De Laurentiis in which she boiled the squash in the broth. This is a great tip that I hadn't done before. It really keeps the integrity of the squash instead of it becoming mushy. There are some other differences between our recipes. Try both and let me know which is better.

Ingredients:

2 cups butternut squash, peeled & diced
3 cups vegetable stock
.5 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
.5 onion, diced
1.5 cup kale, chopped
.5 cup white wine
1 cup aborrio rice
salt & pepper to taste
.5 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable stock in a large pot. Once it is boiling, add the butternut squash. You may need to add more stock or water to have enough to boil the stock. Once the squash is soft, remove it from the stock and set aside.

2. In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil and .5 tablespoon of butter until melted. Add the onion and saute until clear. Add the garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds. Add the rice and saute for 2 min.

3. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add the kale.

4. Add half a cup of stock at a time to the rice and stir constantly until it is absorbed.

5. Once the risotto is soft, add the rest of the butter, the cheese and then the squash.

6. Stir to make sure everything is incorporated and warm. Serve.

Notes:

If you have never made risotto before, it is an undertaking. It takes constant vigilance. Make sure that you have all your ingredients ready to go because the risotto must be stirred constantly. It can also be very helpful to have an assistant.

Please don't be scared of kale, it adds color and nutrients to this dish and you can barely taste it.

This is a great dish for a romantic dinner. It is impressive but also a comfort food. Pair it with a salad and wine and you're done.

Vegan swap out:

I don't put the cheese in mine all the time. Sometimes I add a little more salt and sometimes I add nutritional yeast to compensate.

**Image via Food Network**

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*If you have a recipe that you think I should feature in this section, or you want to let me know how yours turned out, please contact me at avie.designs@gmail.com with the subject: blog.recipe