Recipe: Butternut Squash Risotto

Squash Is Not Just For Pie

I start making this in the fall, but continue throughout winter. It is one of my favorites from Gourmet Magazine twenty years ago.  This risotto showcases butternut (or similar squash) by incorporating a rough purée  made from one half  of the squash and the other half, diced  and roasted .I use a 24cm saute pan to make it.  You do not need a special risotto pan. Use leftover squash risotto to make little arancini.  I place a small piece of mozzarella with chopped sage in the middle, roll the  small amount of the risotto mixture around it, and then follow the directions for any arancini recipe for frying. 

My favorite peeler for stress-free peeling of any squash is this one by Messermeister. The handle is well designed for your grip, and more importantly, the blade is not cheap and doesn’t fall off its hinge under pressure. Some of the other ones I used had dreadful handles or if the handle was “ergonomic,” the blade was a throwaway. And I must admit,  I use it to peel celery as well. The Anchor Hocking Batter Bowl has the measurements marked in raised glass and not painted on. It can keep the stock pretty hot on the back of the stove. I now just pour the stock out in increments as needed.   It also comes with a BPA-free lid, which makes it really handy in the fridge for storing pancake batter or broth.

You really don’t need a “risotto pan”. Even in the sublime restaurant,  Da Fiore in Venice, the waiter brings it out in a copper saucepan, stirring your portion before it is plated. Pictured is the 4 quart saute pan, which I have used daily for more than 40 years. It works as well for risotto as it does for rib chops. A copper pan is an investment, but I can attest that it gives results like no other piece of cookware and will last beyond your lifetime and never go into a landfill.