Risotto with Butternut Squash, Greens, and Tomatoes Recipe
Risotto with Butternut Squash, Greens, and Tomatoes Recipes
Ingredients :
6-7 cups vegetable stock
2 cups diced yellow onion
1.5 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2
inch cubes
2 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup canned plum tomatoes, drained, cut
in 1/2 inch dice, juices reserved
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp grated orange zest (optional)
3 cups Swiss chard, cut into 1/2 inch
strips
salt and pepper
Method :
Bring 1 cup stock to a simmer in a large
sauté pan. Add the onions and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until they
are tender and translucent. While the
onions are cooking, bring the rest of the stock to a boil in a large
saucepan. Drop the butternut squash into the boiling stock, reduce the
heat, and simmer until the squash is cooked but still firm. Remove the
squash with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the stock at a simmer.
Add the rice
to the cooked onions and cook 3-5 minutes, until the rice is opaque.
Ladle 1 cup of the simmering stock into the rice and stir until the
stock is absorbed. Add another cup of stock and cook over low heat,
stirring occasionally. Repeat the process with 1 more cup of stock; the
rice will absorb the stock more slowly now but you can't rush it. When
the rice is almost al dente, stir in the cooked squash and the tomatoes,
the optional nutmeg and orange zest, and cook for a few minutes. Add 1.5
cups more simmering stock and cook again until nearly absorbed, then add
the greens and stir until they are wilted. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve at once. The mixture should be a little soupy in the bowl
and the rice should be al dente, soft on the outside and firm in the
center.
Serves 6
This risotto would be at home in northern
Italy or Portugal, where similar ingredients are combined with rice, but
here the mixture is baked in a casserole rather than cooked over a
flame. The sweetness of the squash and the onion provide a wonderful
contrast with the greens and tomatoes.
