Butternut Squash and Zucchini Risotto

Holy fast and easy risotto! I didn't know such a thing was possible, but I ate my words today along with copious quantities of this delectable dish. Amazingly, it didn't take more than 1/2 an hour from start to finish, and was not very dish-dirtying, either! I definitely recommend following the "variation" noted at the end by the recipe's author, cooking the butternut squash and zucchini separately to speed things up a bit. I also put the onions in a blender to chop them up very fine, as I don't like the texture of thick-cut onions, even when minced. I added the butter which was delicious, and I found that substituting the white wine for some of the stock (the recipe originally said 3 cups stock instead of wine) gave it a really delicious yet subtle flavor. Might also up the quantities of butternut squash as well.

Butternut Squash and Zucchini Risotto:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic – crushed

1 small onion

1 zucchini

1/2 butternut squash (poke holes in the squash and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes to make cutting easier) - I would even use a full squash

1 cup arborio rice

About 3 cups stock (can be real or made, vegetarian or chicken) or 2 cups stock, 1 cup white wine

Generous grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Peel and cut all the vegetables into small pieces (about 1/2 cm.). In a large pan, heat the olive oil to medium heat and add the onions, cook for 5 min. and add the garlic. When the onions are soft and almost transparent add the zucchini and butternut squash, cook for 10 min.

Add the risotto rice and start adding the stock, a little bit at a time. Let the rice absorb the stock before adding some more. Repeat until the rice is soft and has a creamy texture.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

good variations:

* Replace some of the stock with white wine (if you do that, add the wine at the beginning and later add the stock.
* Add peas or green beans – It makes the risotto look more appealing (color contrast).
* Add 20 grams of butter (a little less than half a stick) at the end, it makes the risotto even more creamy.
* To save time, make the onions and risotto rice in one pan and the vegetables in another. It can cut down the time to make this dish to 1/2 a hour.

Source: http://bakingforthecure.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/butternut-squash-and-zucchini-risotto/