Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Hazelnuts

I'd like to think I'm not the only vegetarian who can do without faux-birds during the holiday season.  I've actually grown to detest any prepackaged mass claiming to either taste similar to or, in some beguiled marketing disaster, better than the real mccoy.  I've overheard many an anarcho-eco-vegaholic spout off about the benefits of a vegan diet while filling their shopping cart or stuffing their face with some greasy, rubbery, tasteless slab of hypocrisy wrapped individually for our convenience, lacking, if not completely void of nutrition.

I'll admit, in those early years of becoming vegetarian I purchased, shared and thoroughly enjoyed one or more of those boxed "cruelty-free" roasts.  In most cases I would take one or two of the smaller slices of said roast, drizzle some mushroom gravy, then surround the meager helping with copious amounts of freshly mashed potatoes, casseroles, assorted roasted vegetables and heavy helpings of homemade desserts, all things that recall pleasant moments from Thanksgivings past.  I've never been much a fan of mock meats and while those holiday substitute turkeys tend to be the (soy)cream of the crop, in no way do they resemble poultry in taste or texture.  After a couple years, however, they did provide that much needed staple food to signify that Thanksgiving had indeed arrived.  I have many fond memories from those holidays I shared with friends and family that I wouldn't trade for anything but for now I would like to encourage anyone reading this to pass on that frozen faux-fowl this year and opt for something equally if not a more autumn inspired dish that I hope will impress all that partake.

For the past few years I've relied on butternut squash as my go-to vegetable for a hearty main dish.  Risotto is surprisingly easy and incredibly versatile, although in any traditional recipe I guarantee any one of a variety of hard italian cheeses will be called for.  Fortunately, it's a rather small amount that can be omitted while having relatively no impact on the outcome and in this recipe the squash actually contributes to the creamy texture.  Here's what you need:

1 small butternut squash
1 1/2 cups arborio rice, or any "risotto" rice
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups vegetable stock
1 onion
1/3 cup crumbled roasted hazelnuts
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
oil (I prefer coconut, but olive oil is good too)
2 Tbsp minced sage leaves
salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.


First, take your biggest nice and carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, save the seeds and roast like you would pumpkin seeds for snacks or garnishing this dish.  Take one half of the squash and rub it with oil.  Roast in the oven for roughly 45 minutes or longer, until the squash is browning and a knife can be easily inserted into the deepest part of the squash.  When cooled, mash or puree the squash and set aside.  Take the other half of the squash, peel and dice into half inch pieces.  Toss with oil and roast for 12-15 minutes, turning the pieces about 8 minutes in, until the corners start caramelizing and set aside.


Bring the vegetable stock to a low simmer, you'll be adding the warm stock in small quantities to the rice.


Dice the onion and over medium-low heat start sweating the onions in 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot, add about half a teaspoon of salt.  When the onions are translucent add the rice and stir, making sure all the rice is coated in oil.  After a minute or two the grains of rice will become clear around the outsides, this is where it become a bit of a chore.  Add the wine and start stirring, you're going to need to stay near the pot for the rest of the cooking time, roughly 30 minutes.  You're going to want the rice to start absorbing all the liquid very slowly, as the rice absorbs liquid it will release starch, thus creating the creamy texture we're hoping to achieve.  Stir the rice frequently, constantly if you can, making sure no rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.  If any of the grains are browning, your heat is too high, lower the heat!  When the wine is absorbed, add about a cup of the simmering stock to the rice and start stirring again.  When the rice has absorbed the stock, add another cup of stock.  Continue adding stock until the rice is tender, as the pot's contents increase you may need to adjust your heat a bit, turning it ever so slightly higher.  When the risotto has reached the right texture add one last installment of stock, the squash puree and pieces, nuts, ginger, sage, and any more salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in all the ingredients until everything is well incorporated.  Serve immediately, garnish with more nuts or sage if you'd like, and maybe some really nice olive oil.

This year I made the risotto with chestnuts rather than hazelnuts, but I think I prefer my original plan of action.  I may try adding more spices and making a curried butternut squash risotto.  This dish loses it's creamy texture quickly, so if you happen to be making a lot of other dishes, are planning on taking this to a potluck, or just aren't able to serve the risotto immediately I might suggest preparing it the night before, then on the big day form balls or patties with the rice, coat them in breadcrumbs and pan fry (or bake, but really, not nearly as good) until the crust is golden.  I know this recipe is a little late for Thanksgiving 2010, but this dish is quite easily made any night of the week, and there's also another holiday creeping up which would be perfect for risotto as well.  Thanks for reading!  I was busy cooking all day and wasn't really able to get any photos, but there was a couple cameras floating around that evening so hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of the feast we compiled.

Polenta and Leeks with a Mushroom Ragout

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our friend Joe Gocong.  Joe contributed quite a bit to the projects of the household in the past few days, and after 2 solid days of soundproofing our garage he was adamant about rewarding everyone's hard work.  Joe has a strong reputation for crafting a fine pizza pie, and he was excited to share his talent.  Regrettably I was not to be found amongst the gorging.  Chewing has become rather trying since starting my braces treatment on Thursday.

I could not sit back and let my jealousy stew, instead I took some regional inspiration from Joe's plan and picked up something from Ye Olde Whole Foods I would be able savor without the aid of pain killers.  I returned home with some coarse cornmeal and a bottle of my favorite relatively inexpensive Cabernet.  Luckily, like pasta and risotto, polenta leaves itself open for the addition of a multitude of ingredients.  When making this dish in the past I've used the red wine to braise torpedo onions and fennel, which I would definitely suggest trying, but I had a handful of cremini mushrooms hanging out in the fridge that needed some attention.  The mushrooms could have held their own in the ragout, but I had some sweet little sunburst tomatoes that I dried a few months ago while they were in abundance so I could carry their divine flavor into my winter dishes, and I was pretty pumped to try them out.  These are the results:

Polenta

1 1/2 cups polenta, or coarse cormeal

1 cup sliced leeks

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

a couple heavy pinches of salt

pepper

Bring the broth to a boil and reduce to a simmer in a small saucepan.  In a large pot heat the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the leeks and the salt, stirring occasionally for about ten minutes until soft but not browned.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Add the polenta slowly while stirring to avoid clumps.  Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.  When the water is absorbed start ladling in small amounts of broth at a time, letting each ladleful absorb before adding another and stir, a lot, until the polenta is soft and creamy.  If it looks a little dry just add a little more water, or maybe some cashew milk if you feel so inclined.  Season with pepper and more salt if desired.

Ragout

3 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dried tomatoes (or one cup fresh cherry tomatoes sliced in half)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 cup dry red wine

1 1/2 t dry thyme

Salt and Pepper

2 T Olive Oil

Saute the mushrooms in oil with some salt in a large skillet over medium heat until the mushrooms have given up their moisture and are starting to brown.  Add the garlic and onions and saute until the onions are soft and then add the tomatoes, thyme, pepper and wine.  Reduce the wine until saucy consistency has formed. 

Plate the polenta and serve the ragout over top.  I sprinkled micro-basil over the ragout which added some really mild, earthy subtlety.  In addition to the basil, the arugula salad offered some color the plate was begging for.  Joe contributed all the photos.  He's leaps and bounds ahead of my grasp on my own camera.  I'd like to revisit this dish and alter the finished product, but considering the condition of my gums this was exactly what the doctor ordered.