Sunflower Seed Risotto With Squash And Mushrooms Recipes

MUSHROOM AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Combine the chicken broth and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Put the porcini mushrooms in a spouted measuring cup and ladle 1 cup hot stock over. Let soak 15 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, and finely chop. Pour the soaking liquid back into the broth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and almost tender, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Scatter in the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are well browned and have given up their liquid and the liquid has reduced away, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat in the olive oil. Let the rice toast in the skillet for a minute, then stir in the reserved chopped porcini.
• Add the white wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until absorbed. Ladle in enough of the hot stock to just cover the rice. Adjust the heat so the risotto is gently simmering. Cook and stir the rice until the liquid is almost absorbed, then ladle in more stock just to cover. Continue to stir and add stock until the rice is al dente, adding the squash in the last 6 minutes of cooking time, 18 to 20 minutes. You may have a little bit of stock left over, and that's OK.)
• Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese and parsley. Serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

SUNFLOWER SEED "RISOTTO" WITH SQUASH AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place sunflower seeds in a medium, wide, heavy pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until al dente, 45-55 minutes.
• Strain seeds through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Transfer 1 cup cooking liquid and 1 cup seeds to a blender; reserve remaining seeds and discard remaining liquid. Add cream and 2/3 cup Parmesan and blend until very smooth.
• Wipe out pot. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in pot over medium. Add onion, half of garlic, and 4 thyme sprigs. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and onion begins to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add reserved sunflower seeds and cook until seeds are toasted, about 1 minute. Add broth and wine and simmer over medium heat until liquid is almost fully reduced and seeds are tender, 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms, 2 thyme sprigs, and remaining garlic and 1 Tbsp. oil and continue cooking until mushrooms and squash are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and transfer to a plate.
• When broth is almost completely evaporated, add blended seed mixture and cook until sauce thickens, 5-8 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and stir in 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Divide "risotto" among bowls and top with sautéed vegetables, Parmesan, pepper, and thyme sprigs.

SUMMER SQUASH AND TOMATO RISOTTO

Steps:

• Mince the onion, keeping the onion pieces about the same size as the rice grains. Dice the zucchini, reserving the ends.
• Remove the tomatoes from the oven. Discard the basil leaves. Purée the tomatoes in a food processor or by hand by chopping and mincing the tomatoes on a cutting board until no chunks remain. Set aside ½ cup of Tomato Purée. (Reserve the remainder for another use.)
• Melt 2 tablespoons of cold butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and cook very slowly, until the onion is tender but has taken on no color. In a separate sauce pot, bring vegetable stock to a simmer, and infuse with the zucchini ends and basil stems.
• Add the rice to the butter and onion soffritto and toast, stirring with a spoon, for about 4 minutes. Toast at a low heat; do not let the rice take on color. When the rice is toasted and the grains are a nice white color, add the wine and cook over moderate heat until all the wine is reduced. Set a timer to 16 minutes. Start adding the hot stock to the rice, one ladle at a time, just covering the rice. Repeat, adding more stock, each time the liquid has absorbed into the rice. Continue to stir after each addition of stock and wine. (Note: At the eight-minute mark, move on to step 6.)
• At the eight-minute or halfway mark, add the zucchini. Continue cooking for the final eight minutes while adding the remaining stock. Dice the remaining cold butter and set aside. When the timer goes off, let the rice rest for about thirty seconds but no more, to prevent cooling. Finish by adding the Parmigiano-Reggiano, Tomato Purée, diced butter, and squash blossoms (optional); then stir.
• Season with the salt and adjust the rice with some warm stock if necessary. The final consistency should be creamy and spread slowly on the plate. Serve immediately on warmed plates. Garnish with a chiffonade of mixed basil leaves.
• (Note: If you want to skip making the Tomato Puree, combine 1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce with 1 grated clove of garlic.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Core the tomatoes. With a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes through the equator and lay cut side up on a half-sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. Season the tomatoes with the salt evenly. Cut the garlic into thin slices and place a slice of garlic on each tomato half. Finish with some basil chiffonade on each tomato. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and roast in the oven, 1 1/2 hours.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Steps:

• Steps #2 through #6 are for the Veggies.
• In a medium-large skillet, heat a thin film of oil on medium-high heat.
• Add mushrooms. Sauté until oil absorbed (about 1 minute).
• Push mushrooms to sides and add butter to center. Wait until butter browns lightly.
• Add squash, thyme, salt, pepper, and stir. Sauté until butternut squash is brown on all sides (or some sides) and cooked or just under-done.
• Add to risotto in step #14 below.
• Steps #8 through #16 are for the Risotto.
• Heat the wine by microwaving gradually until hot to the touch and set aside. Heat the broth in a small sauce pan on medium-high heat until hot to the touch, then turn it down and leave it on low heat.
• In a large saucepan, sauté shallot and parsley in abundant olive oil. When brown and translucent, remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add rice to pan. Stir to coat, adding a tad more oil if necessary. Sauté until rice becomes translucent (with a visible white core) and slightly colored but not brown (about 7-10 minutes), stirring to keep from sticking.
• Re-add shallot and parsley to pan. Add warm wine. Stir until wine evaporates.
• Just as the last of the liquid evaporates, add one ladle of warm broth. Stir gently.
• You will repeat step #12, adding a new ladle of broth whenever the liquid is low and stirring gently, until the rice is al dente (about 20-30 minutes). Look ahead to steps #14 and #15. You may or may not use all the broth. If you completely run out of broth, use water (heated to the same temperature as the broth).
• When the rice is almost done, before the last ladle or two of broth, add all the contents of the veggie pan.
• When rice is done, turn off heat. Stir in butter and cheese.
• Let sit for 2-3 minutes covered. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.