Food Craft: Butternut Squash Risotto

This weekend I am posting a bunch of my favorite winter and Holiday recipes as a special series. I know I have dotted a few good Holiday recipes through here and there, but with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, it is time to get down to business! Every family seems to have a vegetarian, and there is no excuse to offer them nothing but side dishes as their holiday meal. This risotto makes a great main course for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

To make this risotto you will need:

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3-4 cups vegetable stock (you can use chicken stock if you are making it for the meat eaters only)
1 cup white wine
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup Crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (I get a small block and use a microplane to finely shred--don't use that gross powdered stuff, it doesn't do anyone any favors)

*you will want to roast your squash prior to starting the rest of your risotto. Simply toss it with salt, pepper and olive oil and bake on a sheet pan in the oven at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Start heating your butter and oil together in a large pot on the stove, about medium heat. On a separate burner, in a separate pot, bring your stock to a simmer. Add your onion and garlic to the pot with the oil and butter. Cook until the onion becomes translucent. Add in your rice and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add in your mushrooms, then start adding your stock a ladle at a time. Wait until the rice has soaked up all of the stock before adding more.

Smash up your squash with a fork and add it to the risotto and allow to cook together for about 5 minutes. Once all stock has been added, add your parmesan cheese and white wine. I always use a wine we would drink, never anything labeled as "cooking wine". Once your wine is absorbed into the risotto, you can add another tablespoon of butter if you like to make it extra rich and creamy. Serve warm.

This is great as a whole meal, or on the side. Enjoy!

Friday Food Craft: Roasted Acorn Squash Gnocchi

This was so so good! It is much easier than I thought it would be, though my gnocchi aren't shaped with the most expert hands by any means.

You will need:
1/2 an acorn squash, roasted until soft
1 medium russet potato, roasted until soft
1 egg plus 3 egg yolks
2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

First, roast your potato and your acorn squash until the flesh is tender, about 40 minutes (my potato took longer than the squash). Set these aside to cool 10-15 minutes.

Next, use a potato ricer or a box grater and grate your squash and potato into a large mixing bowl (I used a box grater as I do not have a potato ricer, but the texture from a ricer is much smoother in the end product).

Separate your egg yolks and mix them together with your whole egg. Add this to your squash/potato mixture.

Add about 1 1/4 cups of flour and mix your dough well, add more flour as needed (the final dough should be firm, not sticky.

To form the gnocchi I separated my dough into 4 or 5 smaller balls. Roll each one into a large "snake" and cut pieces about 1 inch in length. Roll each piece along the back of a fork to give your gnocchi grooves for your sauce (there will also be a nice thumb dent in the back for more yummy sauce!).

Boil your gnocchi in batches, it is done when it floats to the surface. I use a straining spoon to get mine out so the water never stops boiling between batches.

Add any sauce you like. The flavor from the squash is very subtle, so this is a great way to get some extra nutrients in your diet. I added a garlic butter sauce, but a cream sauce, tomato sauce, etc would be fabulous. I think next time I will try a brown butter sauce with nutmeg. Yummy!