Butternut Squash Saffron Risotto

Man oh man! Was this a crowd pleaser... I came across this recipe when searching for things to do with butternut squash I had leftover from another meal. This was so great that I decided to make it for Thanksgiving for my family. It takes some time but is really quite simple to execute. Enjoy!

Start with the squash...

Place the entire squash in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. This will soften it so it’s easier to cut! 

Then peel and slice in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Dice the rest of the squash and place on a sheet tray lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil salt and pepper and place in oven for 30 minutes on 350. Stirring every 10 minutes until soft. 

Meanwhile you can start the Risotto as it takes about 30 minutes to come together. 

First place 6 cups of chicken stock into a saucepan and cover to heat. 

Next start your Risotto...

First chop 1/2 cup of shallots and 1/2 cup of pancetta and place in a large flat saucepan with 6 Tbsp of butter. Cook these until soft on medium low heat about 10 minutes. Do not let them brown. 

Then add 1 1/2 cups of arborio rice. Stir until coated with all the butter. 

Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and cook about 2 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Now comes the important part. Add two ladles of the hot stock at a time and stir until the liquid is almost gone and rice seems somewhat dry. About 5-10 minutes. 

Add salt (I used a French garden salt) and pepper and 1 tsp saffron threads. 

Continue adding two paddles of stock at a time every 5-10 minutes. You will see the rice start to take on the liquid and double in size. 

After about 30 minutes check for to see the rice should be al dente. Soft but still with some bite. Take off heat. 

Add your cooked butternut squash. 

Add fresh Parmesan. 

Add some fresh nutmeg and garnish with thyme.