Butternut Squash Risotto

Lucky for me, cooking well runs in Andrew's family. His mom Carolee picked out a few exceptional recipes for our recent visit to Utah. This recipe is for butternut squash risotto.

Andrew has a similar recipe that uses pumpkin instead of butternut squash. His recipe also cuts out the white wine. If you think cooking with white wine might flare your IC, go ahead and leave it out. It'll be delicious regardless.

Contents:

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt to taste
• 6 cups vegetable stock (remember to use tomato-free stock!)
• 6 tbs butter
• 2 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1/2 c shallots - minced
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 1 c freshly grated Parmasean

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss is with olive oil, 1 tsp salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Start rice while squash is roasting.

Heat the vegetable stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 tsp salt. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.

Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, and then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and enjoy!