the other risotto blog for today

I have made risotto and blogged about it before (here). I like it so much that I went in search of more risotto recipes. I found a couple and have been meaning to try them for months. Finally, I decided I would make them this week while Bill is in Detroit (not because he doesn't love risotto; but because it's a good leftover dish, it's a good side dish and I'm also eating these pulled pork sandwiches so I just needed a little bit of something to go with them and even I have my limit on how many times I can eat potatoes).

So I tried this recipe today for lunch, Butternut Squash, Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto. I know. You're thinking, how in the world did you ever find this recipe? I searched for risotto and this is one of the recipes that popped up.

Now I am nice enough to have retyped it for you. Because, even though there is a U.S./metric conversion button, the U.S. measurements are screwy. Things like "1/2 pounds, 2 -5/8 ounces, weight Peeled... Butternut Squash"...

What???

Who weighs their Butternut Squash?

So here's my version below.

Just so you know, if you like any of the ingredients, you will like this dish. The goat cheese gives it a creaminess that pulls out the flavor of the roasted butternut squash and makes each bite taste sinful. Dreadfully sinful. And delicious.

I actually felt guilty eating it alone. It was that good.

Then, I was so sad when not all of the leftovers fit into the dish and I had to have another plateful.

If you've never made risotto before, here's the best recipe for that. Try it first. Then come back and try the

Butternut Squash, Spinach and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ onion, chopped
• ¾ cup Arborio rice
• ¼ dry white wine
• ¼ finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 small Butternut Squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 3-4 oz. baby Spinach (or a handful)
• Juice and Zest of half a lemon
• 2+ oz. goat cheese
• Optional: Pine nuts and fresh herbs

Directions

Place the cubed Butternut Squash in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until squash is golden (this takes about as long as it takes to prep and cook the rest of the risotto. Do this first, or roast a large butternut squash ahead of time, reserving half of it for this risotto).

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth hot.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup hot broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next. Cook the rice until tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 15-20 minutes (when liquid is almost all absorbed).

Remove from heat and stir in roasted squash, spinach, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and 1 TBSP of butter. Cover it and allow it to cook in the residual heat for a couple of minutes.

Crumble goat cheese over the top and serve!

Serves 4

This is a good way to make the basic risotto go further