Primo or Secondo

If it isn’t overwhelmingly obvious at this point, I love a good risotto. This Milanese staple is the perfect canvas for any number of flavor combinations.

On the surface a risotto seems like it would be a lot of work, however, as I proved the other day in my post risotto style pasta with shrimp and spinach over at the peaches en risotto blog, that isn’t necessarily the case. Contrary to my previous thinking, a risotto is not only a very tasty dish, but can be a wonderful one pot meal limiting the mess your culinary adventure leaves in its wake.

I have made a good number of risotto’s over the years and have even splurged on a special pan to cook them in. Some of my risotto’s were intended to be served primo (as an appetizer) or secondo (as an entree). This particular recipes, which also happens to be the fifth and final installment in the fall flavors recipe series, is one I came up with for Thanksgiving dinner the first time I did my turkey osso bucco style.

While it is certainly hearty enough to stand on its own as a secondo, you could serve it as a side dish to go with any number of things like turkey or even braised short ribs.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Hardware

• Large saucepan or saucier
• Wooden spoon, knife & cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons

Software

• 1 cup roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• Pancetta, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Assemblage

• In a saucepan render the pancetta until crispy, then add the shallot and butter
• Once the butter is melted and the shallots are translucent add the Arborio rice and toast to two to three minutes
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow the rice to absorb the liquid
• Begin ladling in the chicken stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to cook and absorb
• When the rice is al dente add the roasted butternut squash and milk
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary

Presentation

How you plate it all depends on how you intend to serve it. When I made the dish for this post I intended for it to be our entree and simply plated it up in a shallow bowl with some freshly grated parmegan reggiano cheese and a chiffonade of sage.