Wild Rice Risotto With Winter Squash Recipes

WILD RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add the wild rice, cover the pan, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 25 minutes; drain well.
• Bring 4 cups water to simmer in a large saucepan. Keep the water simmering while you begin step number 3.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Saute the scallions and garlic over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the Arborio rice; stir it for 2 minutes.
• Pour the wine, the wild rice, and the tarragon into the frying pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
• Pour 1/2 cup of the heated water into the frying pan. Stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed, then add 1/2 cup more water. Continue adding the water in this manner, waiting between additions until the liquid is absorbed and stirring frequently. After about 18 to 20 minutes most of the liquid should be absorbed, and the rice should be tender but still slightly chewy.
• When all of the water is absorbed, add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and peas. Stir in the mixture, and simmer it, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve at once.

BAKED RISOTTO WITH WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Peel squash and cut into very thin slices, 1/16-inch thick. Then cut slices into flat 2-inch squares. (Reserve the scraps, including peels, to make squash stock if desired.)
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice and let simmer for 8 minutes so it is parcooked, with the grains still hard in the center. Drain rice in a colander, rinse with cold water, then spread on a baking sheet to cool. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add leek and saffron, if using, and stir to coat. When leek is softened but still green, after 2 minutes, add squash, stir to coat and turn off heat. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Add parcooked rice, hot broth, Gruyère, ricotta, Parmesan and lemon zest, mixing gently with a wooden spoon. Pour rice mixture into a buttered 3-quart baking dish.
• Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, pressing down to smooth surface. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Tent with foil if necessary. Garnish with parsley just before serving.

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.

SAGE, ONION AND WILD-RICE RISOTTO CAKES

Steps:

• Make wild-rice risotto:
• Bring water with salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan, then simmer wild rice, covered, until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand in cooking liquid, uncovered, 30 minutes. Drain rice in a sieve set over a saucepan and reserve rice. Add vegetable stock to cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Keep liquid hot, covered, over low heat.
• Heat butter and oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté sage, stirring, 1 minute. Add onions and sauté, stirring, until softened. Stir in celery with salt to taste and sauté, stirring, until onions begin to turn golden brown, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in Arborio rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed. Stir in 1 cup hot broth and simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, and simmering, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender but still al dente and creamy-looking and liquid is absorbed, 20 to 22 minutes. Toward end of cooking, stir in wild rice.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in Parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cool risotto and chill, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 12. Bring risotto to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
• Make risotto cakes:
• Lightly beat yolks and stir into risotto. Beat whites and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. Stir half of whites into risotto to lighten slightly and fold in remaining whites. Let batter stand at room temperature 15 minutes before proceeding.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Scoop 4 (rounded 1/4-cup) mounds of batter into skillet, flattening with back of a spoon to form cakes 3 inches across by 1/2 inch thick. Cook cakes until golden brown on underside (this is critical to prevent cakes from breaking when turning), adjusting heat if browning too quickly, 5 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over with a metal spatula and cook until golden brown on underside, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer as browned to a large shallow baking pan and arrange in one layer. Make more cakes in same manner, wiping skillet clean with paper towels between batches and adding more oil as necessary.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Just before serving, bake risotto cakes until sizzling, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

RISOTTO WITH WILD RICE

Steps:

• Bring one-and-one-fourth cups of the stock to a boil in a small saucepan, add the wild rice, cover tightly and allow to cook until the rice is tender and nearly all the liquid has been absorbed, about 40 minutes.
• While the wild rice is cooking, heat the butter or oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook slowly until tender but not brown. Add the arborio rice and stir well.
• Begin adding the remaining stock, half a cup at a time, stirring constantly and adding more stock as each portion is absorbed by the rice. After 20 to 25 minutes all the stock should have been added and the rice should be just tender. Remove from heat.
• When the wild rice has finished cooking, fold it in along with any liquid remaining in the pan. Gently reheat the risotto if necessary, season to taste and serve at once with Parmesan cheese.

BROWN RICE RISOTTO WITH WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Bring medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Stir in brown rice, adjust heat so that water bubbles steadily, and cook without stirring, until rice is swollen and half-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. (If you want to wait a bit before proceeding, spread the rice on a platter or sheet tray so it cools.)
• Put oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add onion or shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir in the squash; add the wine. Stir and let liquid bubble away.
• Begin to add the stock, about ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When the stock is just about evaporated, add more. Keep the heat medium to medium-high and stir frequently.
• When rice is just about tender and mixture is creamy, stir in shellfish or meat and continue to cook, adding more liquid if necessary, until rice is tender. The final dish should be quite moist but not soupy. Add Parmesan if you're using it, then taste and add more salt or pepper (or both) if necessary. Garnish with basil or parsley and serve.

WILD RICE 'RISOTTO' WITH WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat until it just begins to brown. Stir in the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to wilt; then, add the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and pepper, stir and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 mintes. Add the short grain rice, and stir.
• In a separate pan bring the stock to a simmer, and keep hot.
• Add 2 cups of the hot stock to the short grain rice, and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Add the pumpkin puree, diced squash, sautéed mushrooms and wild rice and another cup of the stock. Stir until the stock is absorbed.
• Add another 1 to 1 1/2 cups stock, and continue to cook until the short grain rice is just about tender. The risotto can be prepared in advance to this point and set aside for an hour or two. If prepared in advance, add another 1/2 cup stock when reheating the risotto.
• Before serving, stir in the remaining butter, the cheese and the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

WINTER SQUASH RISOTTO

Steps:

• Cut squash into medium size pieces, scrape out seeds and stringy flesh and discard. Steam cleaned pieces of squash for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Remove skin and mash smooth. Place stock in a saucepan and heat until simmering. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, fry bacon piece until crisp. Remove bacon, leaving grease in the pan. Crumble bacon for use as a garnish and set aside. Add oil and shallots and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 5 minutes over moderately high heat. Stir slowly but constantly. This will "toast" the rice and start to turn it slightly golden and feel loose and dry. You should start to hear the rice "click." Add the wine all at once to the rice and cook over fairly high heat to boil it down. When the rice is almost dry, stir in 1 cup of stock and mashed squash. Simmer until the sock is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time and stirring until rice becomes creamy while the grains remain separate and firm, but not hard in the center of the grain. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and rosemary and stir. Stir in the butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Place in individual serving bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese, crumbled bacon and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy! Yield: 4 to 6 main course servings
• Hints for success: The pot must be heavy on the bottom to keep the temperature even during the cooking process. Arborio is a short grained rice. It is very starchy, which is necessary to produce the desired result of a creamy risotto. Look for a fat opaque center in the rice, known as "LaPerla," this indicates a good starch content. Wine is the first liquid to be added to the rice. The first liquid will be absorbed totally and the acid in the wine balances the starch and adds flavor.
• Toasting the rice seals in the flavor. There should be about 3 times the amount of stock as rice. Make sure the stock is very hot. The stock is added slowly to the rice and releases the starch gradually, creating a creamy texture. Constant stirring is needed to produce the best results

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOM WILD RICE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Combine the shiitake mushrooms and water in a bowl, assuring the mushrooms are covered with water; allow to soak until the mushrooms have softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid for later use.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Toss the butternut squash, olive oil, and maple syrup together in a bowl until the squash is evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet.
• Roast the squash in the preheated oven until tender yet retains its shape, about 30 minutes; set aside.
• Bring the vegetable stock and the reserved liquid from the mushrooms to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter begins to foam, stir the onion into the butter and cook until the onions are soft and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the wild rice and the Arborio rice through the onions until evenly mixed and coated. Add the white wine and mushrooms to the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Pour enough of the simmering stock mixture into the skillet to cover the rice; cook and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. Continue adding stock about 3/4 cups at a time, allowing each batch to absorb into the mixture before adding the next. Cook and stir until the rice is tender, about 35 minutes total. Add the butternut squash; cook until the squash is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Quickly stir the Gorgonzola cheese and parsley into the mixture until the risotto is moist and creamy; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

WILD RICE AND SQUASH PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms, squash, onions and green pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer., Stir in the rice, broth, soy sauce and savory. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 13-15 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in almonds.