Butternut Squash Risotto With Spinach And Toasted Pine Nuts Recipes

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven (or large oven proof heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid). Turn heat to medium high and add mushrooms and shallots. Saute for 5 minutes. Add rice and garlic and continue to cook for 3 minutes while stirring.
• Add 4 1/2 cups warm chicken stock, squash, chicken bouillon, salt, oregano, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• While rice is cooking, toast pine nuts. Add pine nuts to a dry skillet and heat over medium heat. Toast until golden, watching closely so they don't burn. Transfer to a bowl so they don't continue to cook.
• When rice is tender, remove from oven and stir in remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock, heavy cream and cheeses. Stir vigorously to break down the squash until smooth. Stir in peas and heat through.
• Garnish with pine nuts, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast until golden and caramelized at the edges, stirring at least once, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool.
• Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and maintain at a bare simmer.
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook just until it releases its fragrance, about 30 seconds, then add the rice and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a ladleful of stock; cook, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed. Add another ladleful; again, cook, stirring, until almost fully absorbed. Continue in this manner until the rice is creamy and al dente (tender but still firm to the bite), about 40 minutes--you may or may not use all the stock.
• Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the Parmesan if using and the squash, reserving some cubes for garnish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with the reserved squash cubes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAGE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins until brown and soft.
• While the squash is roasting, prepare the risotto. Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
• Pour in the wine and simmer until completely evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy.
• At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir through the purée, then add the cheese and remaining butter and leave to rest for a few minutes. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of squash and the crisp sage leaves.

RISOTTO WITH SPINACH AND PINE NUTS (RISTORANTE LA BRISA)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pine nuts in one layer in oven-proof dish, and place in oven for 15 minutes until they become golden. Remove and cool to room temperature.
• In another pot, heat 4 cups water and cook spinach until limp. Remove, drain, squeeze dry and chop finely.
• In a pot, heat chicken stock to boiling, lower heat and keep at gently rolling boil.
• In a frying pan, heat 1 1/2 table spoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add rice and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until rice is warm to the touch. Add half-cup of boiling chicken stock, stirring constantly until rice absorbs stock. Add 2 more half-cups of stock in half-cup amounts, again stirring while stock is absorbed. (Liquid should be bubblinggently.) Add spinach at this point, when rice is half-cooked. Stir and mix.
• Add rest of stock, in half-cup amounts (total cooking time of rice is approximately 30 minutes). Five minutes before rice is cooked, add Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of butter, and mix. Just before serving, mix in all but 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts, sprinkling the top with remaining nuts. If desired, add more Parmesan to taste.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes.
• You should have about 6 cups.
• Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan.
• Leave it on low heat to simmer.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned.
• Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter.
• Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes.
• Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock.
• Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total.
• Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan.
• Mix well and serve.

ROAST GARLIC & BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan / gas 9 with a baking tray inside to heat up. Carefully drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the hot tray, then add the squash. Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, cayenne and some seasoning, then add the garlic and rosemary, toss to coat, and roast for 40 mins, turning halfway through, until the squash is tender and golden. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the butter and the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10 mins, or until soft and translucent.
• Add the rice to the pan with the onions and toast for 2-3 mins, stirring until the rice is slightly browned and coated in the butter. Add the hot stock to the pan, a ladle at a time, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed before adding more. Splash in the wine and continue to cook for 20-25 mins until the rice is almost cooked through but still retains some bite. You may or may not use all the stock, but if you need more liquid, add a splash of water. The risotto should be creamy, and not too thick or sticky.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins and stir into the roasted squash. Discard the rosemary sprigs. Gently fold the squash into the risotto, scraping any roasting oils into the pan. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp butter, then scatter with the cheese and toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if using, then season with cracked black pepper and serve with a green salad, garlic bread or both, if you like.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SPINACH AND TOASTED PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add about 3 1/2 cups squash in even layer and cook without stirring until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer squash to bowl and set aside.
• Return skillet to medium heat; add reserved squash fibers and seeds and any leftover diced squash. Cook, stirring frequently to break up fibers, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan and add vegetable broth and water; cover saucepan and bring mixture to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain bare simmer.
• While broth mixture is simmering, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add 4 ounces baby spinach and cook, covered, over medium heat, until leaves begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter (or margarine) in now-empty skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add onions, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, strain hot broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan and discard solids in strainer; cover saucepan and set over low heat to keep broth hot.
• When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth and half of reserved squash to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.
• Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Turn off the heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter/margarine, Parmesan, sage, and nutmeg; drain excess liquid from spinach and gently fold in spinach and remaining cooked squash. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Top individual servings of risotto with toasted pine nuts; serve immediately.