First winter squash of 09!

Ah - winter squash... I love it. When the first winter squash comes in the share it's a real turning point in the seasons - it definitely means it's gotten colder out and sadly, we're nearing the end of this season's deliveries. But, it's just the beginning of the winter squash deliveries so I won't get too sentimental.

The first delivery of squash was 2 acorn varieties. My sister (my roommate and partner-in-crime in cooking) and I decided that instead of just roasting the acorn squash this week, we were going to try something more adventurous... Winter Squash Risotto!!! A good friend who knows me all too well got me an awesome recipe book that is my go-to when I don't know what to do with a new vegetable. I found a recipe in the book that we took and adapted to be a little healthier and more to my liking...

Winter Squash Risotto (I used acorn squash):
Ingredients:
2 acorn squash (medium sized) - cooked (see step 1 below)
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt & pepper
1.5 tbsp butter
1 shallot, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano
olive oil (for cooking of squash)

--> Oven to 350 F. Cut squash in half and remove seeds and stringy-ness. Put the halves cut side down on a cooking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil underneath each half. Cook for ~40 min or until your squash is soft enough to remove the flesh, mush up and throw out the skin. Then set aside.

--> In a large pot, bring the veg/chicken broth to a boil, then lower heat to keep at a simmer.

--> In a second large pot - preferably a wide and deep soup-pot - melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the shallot. Cook for 3-5 min or until shallot is soft and lightly colored. Add the rice, stir it so that it gets coated in the melted butter and cook for 1 minute (continue to stir - otherwise your rice might stick to the bottom of the pot). Turn the heat to high and add 2 cups of simmering broth and cook at a boil - stir only occassionally. Once the 2 cups are fully absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of simmering broth. Continue cooking and stir constantly. Once the 1/2 cup is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup (continue until 4 cups in total have been added to the rice pot). After the last 1/2 cup of broth is absorbed, mix in the mashed up, cooked squash. Stir to mix in and add another 1/2 cup of broth to the rice/squash mixture.

--> Once the squash is added, you also might want to salt and pepper the risotto to your liking. Continue to cook, stir and add liquid until the rice is nicely al dente (you're going to have to do some taste testing on this one - I found that my risotto was perfect after 5 cups of broth had been aded - you might want a little more or a little less).

--> When you are satisfied with the texture of the risotto, remove from heat and mix in the grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese. Add more salt and/or pepper if you want. Serve hot - it will be so good that you won't be able to resist eating immediately anyway!