Butternut Squash from the Garden

When I was looking through recipes around Thanksgiving I happened up this recipe, Risotto with Butternut Squash, Gorgonzola, and Toasted Pecans. This has been a favorite of mine from the December 2003 Oprah magazine. Somehow I had forgotten about it.

I still have home-grown butternut squash from the garden, and on a recent trip to an Italian specialty store, I picked up a pound of Carnaroli rice, considered the best risotto rice overall for making the creamiest risotto due to its very high starch content. Carnaroli rice is available on Amazon, specialty food stores, and gourmet food websites. This recipe calls for arborio rice which is a more common available rice for making risotto.

Home-grown butternut squash, fresh sage leaves, and a new box of Carnaroli rice said it was meant to be.

This is a delightful recipe full of flavor, depth, and texture with soft golden butternut squash, sweet Gorgonzola, and crunchy toasted pecans for crunch. Chef Rori Trovato recommends serving this risotto with a California Zinfandel or Central Coast Syrah. She also provides below simple interesting variations on this recipe. Enjoy!

Sauté the Rice and Butternut Squash Together

Risotto with Butternut Squash, Gorgonzola, and Toasted Pecans

Lovingly Adapted from Chef Rori Trovato

Oprah Magazine, December 2003

Ingredients

1. 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3. 1/2 small onion , finely chopped

4. 1 cup arborio rice

5. 2 cloves small garlic , finely chopped

6. 1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

7. 8 large sage leaves , chopped

8. 2 tablespoons butter

9. 2 teaspoons salt

10. Freshly ground pepper

11. 1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

12. 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Directions

In a saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Then reduce heat to low.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-high flame, heat the olive oil. Add the onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rice; stir until well coated, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and squash and continue to stir another 30 seconds. Lower the heat to medium and add 1/2 cup hot stock. With a wooden spoon, stir until the liquid is absorbed but the rice isn't sticking to the pan. Continue adding 1/2 cup stock and stirring until the stock is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Recipe Note: I was taught to stir your risotto in a clockwise direction, the whole time, for waking up the starch and in turn creaminess in your rice kernels. I also used 1 teaspoon of salt rather than two.

Remove from heat; add the sage, butter, and salt. Season with pepper. Stir to combine. Place risotto in a serving bowl and top with Gorgonzola and pecans. Makes 4 servings.

Recommended variations

• Cranberry Risotto: Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries with the garlic and squash.

• Barley Risotto: Substitute one cup barley for the arborio rice and use one additional cup of stock. Barley has a nuttier taste and a less creamy texture than rice.

• Indian-Spiced Risotto with Shrimp: Omit the squash and add one teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. When the rice is about two-thirds done, add 1 1/2 pounds medium-size peeled and deveined shrimp. Continue cooking until the rice and shrimp are cooked through. Finally, substitute 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for the sage, omit the Gorgonzola, and increase the amount of butter to 4 tablespoons.

Elegant Risotto with Butternut Squash

Please share if you have a favorite risotto recipe you like to make.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Bright and Flavorful Pea Pasta

“P” is for Peas and Parmesan Pasta is a tongue teaser, but also a very passionate pea and pappardelle pasta recipe, a must if you love peas! This recipe is from Manhattan’s Pó restaurant, and Pó chef John Baron, which I originally saw featured in Oprah magazine, January 2001. Pó restaurant was established in 1993, and is permanently closed now, but it’s memory will live on with this recipe.

Keeping frozen peas in your freezer— olive oil, dried pasta, and red onions in your pantry, it can be an easy “go to” recipe when needed. With that said, this recipe calls upon best quality ingredients as usual for your best flavor and outcome. Fresh pasta is preferred, but you can easily used dried too. For the recipe this time I used bucatini pasta. I have always used frozen peas for the recipe with fabulous results, but I do want to use fresh peas from my garden one day.

Add a nice slice of rustic bread with your finished pasta, and you have a bright, flavorful, simple pea pasta dinner of comfort food.

Pappardelle with Peas and Parmesan

Lovingly Adapted from Pó Restaurant, Pó chef John Baron

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or dried pappardelle (or fettuccine)

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup chicken broth or water

1 Tbsp. butter

12 whole mint leaves, optional

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste

Whole cooked peas and lemon zest for garnish

Directions:

1) Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta of your choice until al dente.

2) Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, sugar, salt, pepper, and peas. If you are using fresh peas, cook 10-12 minutes or until the peas are soft and tender, stirring occasionally. If you are using frozen peas, add them when the onion is tender, and cook 2 more minutes stirring. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree with broth or water and the remaining olive oil, scraping down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula.

3) When the pasta is done, drain it. Mix the pea puree and butter in a saucepot; add the pasta and stir until it’s evenly coated. Add the mint leaves and toss well. Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and garnish with whole cooked peas. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Adding Pasta to the Pea Puree

Please share if you have a simple pea recipe. Please share if you make this recipe.

French Fabulous!

I want to mention a wonderful French film (subtitled) (comedy, drama, and family) I saw recently which was so sweet, School of Life (2018), L’ecole buissonnière is the original title. I found it to view on Amazon Prime Video. Beautiful characters, beautiful story, beautiful France, and a theme that “life sometimes rights itself.”

Bon Appétit and Bon Weekend…Bonnie