Squash Golden Onion Risotto Recipes

SIMPLE SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Peel the squash and separate the bulbous seed-bearing section from the slender end. Chop the slender end into 2cm cubes, toss in half the oil, season lightly and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on the outside and soft in the centre, about 30 mins. Cut the bulb in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon - you can keep these to toast in the oven and sprinkle over salads. Chop the flesh into 2cm pieces. Warm the vegetable stock in a small pan, set over a low heat. Drop in squash and leave to gently poach.
• While the squash is roasting, warm a medium-size frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the remaining olive oil and half the butter, followed by the onion. Cover and cook for 3 mins until the onion turns translucent. Stir in the celery, garlic, herbs and a few turns of pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover again and cook for a further 2 mins. Increase the heat slightly and stir in the rice. Stir, uncovered, for about 5 mins - this will help to develop the toasty aroma of the rice without burning the veg.
• Turn up the heat, stir in the wine and let it bubble away to almost nothing. Reduce the heat and start adding the stock. Add one ladle at a time, stirring gently but constantly during each addition. The idea is to encourage the rice to absorb the liquid and soften, but also give up its starch to thicken the remaining broth. Don't stir too aggressively or you will end up with a pan of mush. When the stock has been absorbed, it's time to add the next ladleful and so on. It will take about 15 mins to reach the final ladle of stock. By this time the squash in the stock should have softened. Mash it up with the remaining stock and stir into the risotto.
• Turn off the heat, dot the top of the risotto with remaining butter and most of the Parmesan, cover, leave to rest for 2 mins, then stir through and check the seasoning. Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and sprinkle the roasted squash and leftover Parmesan on top. Serve with crusty bread and Sautéed spinach (below).

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Pour vegetable broth into a pot and simmer on very low heat.
• Heat up oil and 1 Tbsp of butter and chili flakes in a medium deep saute pan.
• Add in onion and saute for 1-2 minutes then toss in squash, sauté for about 5 minutes on medium heat, season with salt and pepper.
• Throw in the rice and coat well so all rice is infused with the oil/butter, about 1 minute, then pour in wine and stir and cook till wine dissipates about 2 minutes.
• Ladle in broth till it comes to just about the surface of the rice/squash mixture and stir. Keep heat to a medium setting.
• Once the broth dissipates add one more ladle and do this for about 18-20 minutes or until broth is all gone.
• Turn off heat and add in the last of the butter and a handful of Parmigiano. Stir until all melted and incorporated. Cover and let sit for a couple of minutes.
• Spoon into dishes and sprinkle with paprika and freshly grated Parmigiano.
• Ready to serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND KALE RISOTTO

Steps:

• For the butternut squash and kale: Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the squash and sprinkle with the salt, chile powder and pepper. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until the squash is deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart). Remove to a plate and set aside.
• In the same skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat and add in the kale. Toss it around with tongs and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the cooked squash and gently toss together. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• For the risotto: Heat the broth in a saucepan over low heat. Keep warm.
• Add the butter to the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute.
• Reduce the heat to low. In 1-cup increments, begin adding the broth to the skillet, stirring to combine and gently stirring as the broth is absorbed. As soon as the liquid disappears, add in another cup to cup-and-a-half of broth. Continue this process, stirring gently as the broth incorporates and the rice starts to become tender. Add salt and pepper along the way.
• Taste the rice after about 5 cups of broth have been absorbed and see what the consistency is. Add another 1 to 2 cups of broth as needed to get the rice to the right consistency; it should be tender with just a little bit of "bite."
• When the rice is tender, add in the cooked squash and kale plus the turmeric and stir gently. Add the Parmesan shavings and cream and stir until it's just combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
• Sprinkle the minced parsley over the top and serve immediately with extra Parmesan shavings!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH OVEN RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Place squash in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast on a lower oven rack 30-35 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring broth and water to a simmer; keep hot. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until tender. Add rice and garlic; cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until rice is coated., Stir in beer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook and stir until beer is absorbed. Stir in 4 cups hot broth mixture. Place Dutch oven on an oven rack above squash; bake, covered, 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender but firm to the bite, risotto is creamy and liquid is almost absorbed., Remove Dutch oven from oven. Add butter, chili powder, nutmeg and remaining broth mixture. Stir vigorously until blended and liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in roasted squash and cheese. Serve immediately.

THAI CURRY RISOTTO WITH SQUASH AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Position oven racks so that a sheet pan and Dutch oven can fit at the same time and heat oven to 400 degrees. Add the squash pieces to a rimmed sheet pan, add 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss and roast until the squash is tender and starting to turn golden, 20 minutes.
• As squash roasts, heat a large Dutch oven over medium. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the shallots, and cook until they've softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir until well coated in oil and lightly toasted, 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add vegetable stock, increase heat to high and bring to boil.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir the rice so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cover with a lid and bake until the rice is just slightly underdone, about 10 minutes.
• As risotto cooks, check the squash. After 20 minutes, it should be just tender. Add the green beans to the same pan, drizzle the beans with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the beans are crisp-tender but still bright green, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Once rice is al dente, move the pot to the stovetop and heat over medium-high. Add the coconut milk and makrut lime leaves, if using, and stir until the rice is creamy, about 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add juice of 1/2 lime. (Slice the other half into wedges.) Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges, and top with herbs and roasted vegetables.

SAUSAGE & SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Boil the kettle. Put the squash in a heatproof bowl, add a splash of water and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 8-10 mins or until the squash is tender. Meanwhile, crumble the stock cubes into a pan, add 1.2 litres hot water from the kettle and set over a low heat to simmer gently.
• Heat the oil in a large, high-sided frying pan. Add the sausage meatballs and roll them around in the pan for 5-10 mins until browned all over and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and sizzle gently for 5 mins, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more, stirring to prevent it from burning. Stir in the thyme, turmeric and risotto rice for 1 min, coating the rice in the oil from the pan. Start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring well every 1-2 mins until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
• Mash half the squash and add to the pan along with the sausage meatballs and Parmesan. Stir, then top with the remaining squash, cover with a lid and leave for 2 mins. Serve with extra Parmesan.

SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Boil the squash in a pot. You can also steam it.
• Heat the water in a pot and maintain it just below a boil.
• Warm a third pot to medium (last pot, I promise) and add the oil and onion. Coat the onion in oil and cook it until it is translucent, but not browned.
• If using dried thyme, add it now. Otherwise, the fresh thyme can wait until the very end of this whole process. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the oil. Pour in the wine and stir until it is all absorbed. Add 2 tsp sea salt. Add the heated water to the rice ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more.
• Use all 3 cups of water for a very creamy risotto, or only 2-2½ cups for a sticky risotto.
• When all the liquid is absorbed, the rice should be soft, but only just cooked (al dente). Then you can stir in the squash.
• Garnish your squash risotto recipe with cracked black pepper and optionally roasted pumpkin seeds for the best meal ever.

RISOTTO WITH ROASTED WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread on the baking sheet in an even layer. Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender and caramelized. Remove from the heat.
• Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
• Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan or a wide saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add one third of the squash, the garlic, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and the garlic fragrant, about 1 minute, and add the rice. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate.
• Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock, enough to just cover the rice and squash. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add the sage and another ladleful of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice is cooked al dente. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Add the remaining roasted squash and another 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Stir in the Parmesan and parsley, and immediately remove from the heat. Add freshly ground pepper, taste one last time and adjust salt. The rice should be creamy. Serve at once.

RISOTTO WITH SQUASH BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil, reduce heat to low, and keep at a bare simmer.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat; add leeks, onions, and garlic, and saute, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until soft but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add rice, and continue stirring until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly all the wine is absorbed, about 30 seconds.
• Raise the heat to medium high. Add salt and pepper to taste, and about 1/2 cup of the simmering stock; cook, stirring constantly, until nearly all the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, about 1/2 cup at a time; adjust seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, allowing each addition to be nearly absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is creamy but slightly firm in the center, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry the squash blossoms. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until very hot, but not smoking. Prepare batter, by combining egg yolk, milk, flour, and 2 tablespoons cold water with a whisk. Dip each blossom in the batter and gently transfer to the hot oil. It will be necessary to do this in small batches. Fry until crispy and light brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Roughly chop six of the cooked squash blossoms, and gently combine with the cooked rice. Divide the risotto among four plates, and garnish with the remaining fried whole squash blossoms. Serve immediately.

RISOTTO WITH SQUASH AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Bring broth and wine to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat; keep hot.
• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add pancetta; sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add squash and onion; stir to coat. Add rice; sauté 1 minute. Add 2 cups hot broth mixture. Adjust heat so that liquid bubbles gently. Stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding hot broth 1 cup at a time until rice is just tender, simmering until liquid is absorbed before each addition and stirring often, about 20 minutes.
• Mix butter and 2 tablespoons Parmesan into risotto. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into bowl. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately