Herby Zucchini & Butternut Squash Risotto (with Parmesan)
Hi Everybody!
I have nothing cute to say about why I’ve been on a blogging sabbatical, I just have been. Laziness or something. Which is a shame, because it’s been a great summer – lots of time in my garden growing some amazing kale, gathering apples from our robust trees, and fighting aphids on my yet-to-produce brussels sprout plants.
Other news in my cooking world – we got a new oven! It was a saga getting it installed, since it shorted out immediately after we plugged it in (the gas people said it was the electrical, the electrician said it was the gas, the gas people said it was the range, the range people said it was the electrical… turns out it was the electrical). Two weeks, countless meals out, and a few hundred bucks later the new range is installed and working. We went from an electric ranges to a dual-fuel double oven with a gas cooktop. It’s dreamy and I’m super excited.
I finally got to break the new stove in with this fabulous herby risotto (and extra plus – it’s mostly no-stir!)
So the best thing I can say about this risotto is that it comes together really easily and without a tremendous amount of hands-on time. The risotto recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated (with some very minor tweaks from me), and I just adapted it to make a main course for dinner.
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups cubed butternut squash – about a 3lb. squash(I bought Trader Joe’s pre-cut squash cubes)
- 6 medium zucchini, chopped into large cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium leeks, slicked thin
- kosher salt
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3-4 ounces grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil + extra for topping
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- group black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and pile on the butternut squash and zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and mix with your hands until all the veggies are coated. Spread in an even layer on the pan.
Place in oven and roast for or 20-30 minutes, until the veggies are cooked through. You’ll want to toss them around with tongs every 10 minutes or so. Once fully cooked, remove from oven and set aside.
In the meanwhile, bring broth and water to boil in large sauce-pan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When butter has melted, add leeks and 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are softened but not browned, 4 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.
Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 5 cups hot broth mixture into rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, 16 to 19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
Add 3/4 cup hot broth mixture and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in about 1 cup (or 3 ounces) of parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. If the risotto needs to be loosened, add up to 1/2 cup of remaining broth mixture. Gently stir in zucchini and butternut squash and mix to combine. Then add in lemon juice, basil, parsley, and chives; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, with extra basil and parmesan.
September 19, 2013
Posted in healthy, main dish, vegetarian
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