- 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs)
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
- 1 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (but why stop there?)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Preheat oven to 450.
Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel one half and cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Put remaining half, cut side down, in an oiled shallow baking pan with diced squash & season with salt & pepper. Bake squash in the middle of the oven, stirring diced squash occasionally, until tender and browned lightly; 15-20 minutes.
Holding halved squash in a kitchen towel (here comes the pain-in-the-ass part...), scoop out flesh & chop coarse.
In a saucepan, bring both broth and water to a simmer & keep at a bare simmer.
In another saucepan, cook onion, garlic and ginger in butter over moderately low heat, stirring until softened.
Stir in rice & cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine, and cook, stirring until absorbed.
Stir in 1/4 cup broth and cook, stirring constantly, and keeping at a simmer throughout, until absorbed. Continue simmering & adding broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until about half of the broth has been added.
Stir in diced and chopped squash and continue simmering & adding broth until rice is tender and creamy looking, but still al dente, about 18 minutes. Stir in chives and salt & pepper to taste.
Garnish with chopped fresh chives and shaved parmesano-reggiano cheese. A drizzle of truffle oil and a bit of proscuitto is never a bad thing, either.
Your cousin sounds a lot like one of my cousins. Are we related?
ReplyDeleteYou have a japanese cousin with no job who makes fun of you when you try to cook something that doesn't come from a box too?
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