Off-Campus Kitchen: Butternut squash and mushroom risotto

By Laura Bryn Sisson, The Dartmouth Staff | 1/22/13 6:00am

You will need:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic (maybe just one if you're making this for a date...)
1 1/2 cups brown button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups butternut squash (about 1/3 of a 1 pound squash)
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
5 cups chicken or mushroom broth
3/4 cups Parmesan cheese

1. Peel and dice the butternut squash, reserving the remainder for another recipe. Dice the mushrooms, onion and shallot — the smaller and thinner the pieces, the more flavorful the risotto will be. Mince the garlic and shred the cheese.

2. Heat butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat until it melts. Add onion, shallot and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté another two minutes. Add rice and continue to sauté for about a minute and a half, constantly stirring.

3. Add the white wine. You should be able to see bubbles emerging from the rice mixture, but the liquid should not significantly submerge the rice. Once the liquid—in this step, the wine—is absorbed, begin to add broth in 3/4-cup increments. The technique for adding liquid from this point on is to add just enough liquid to reach the surface of the rice and cook until this liquid is nearly absorbed.

4. Keep an eye on the rice, adding liquid as the broth absorbs and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Now you can deal with the squash. Boil another pot of water and add the diced, peeled squash, cooking for about 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. (Boiling the squash before adding it to the risotto reduces necessary cooking time. If you want to vary the recipe, try sautéing the squash until tender instead of boiling it; the techniques produce slightly different flavors and textures).

5. Once the squash is tender, add it to the risotto. Keep adding broth in increments, allowing rice to absorb, until rice is tender but not gluey, for about 35 minutes. In the last increment, keep cooking the risotto until all the liquid is absorbed.

6. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.