Butternut Squash Risotto with Fried Sage
Here I am, six months after I posted my last recipe, and the world looks altogether different. Quarantined due to the spread of COVID-19, myself and my nation are all cooped up in our homes with little certainty of what the next few months will look like. There’s so much fear and so much unknown, but sometimes you just have to pause, take a deep breath and haul out that skillet you’ve kept in the back corner of your cupboard because, well, there’s no going anywhere for now and supper needs to be made.
As with many others, I found myself rummaging through picked-through grocery store produce last weekend as I tried to gather ingredients that will last me a while as frequent trips to the store are no longer ideal. It’s not even autumn, when you’d expect to see butternut squash recipes simmering on kitchen stoves, but it’s what was in stock and in a way I think its sweet, warming flavor is just what we all need.
If you happen to have a butternut squash on hand like I did and some arborio rice and stock, make this recipe. Turn on some jazz, pour some wine, let everything fade away for a moment. We’re in this together, all of us.
Butternut Squash Risotto with Fried Sage
1/2 large butternut squash, seeded and peeled then chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups arborio
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 white onions, finely chopped
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch sage leaves, chopped - set aside a few whole leaves for frying later
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for dusting over the top
Salt and pepper, to taste
Nutmeg, cinnamon and ground cloves - one small pinch each
In a small pot, bring the broth to a low boil. Add the cubed butternut squash along with a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves and cover, reducing the heat to a simmer. Simmer the squash in the broth until it’s completely cooked through and very soft. Using an immersion blender, blend the squash and the broth until it’s completely liquid and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook on medium heat until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and sage and stir, cooking for about a minute or so. Add the uncooked arborio rice and toast it in the oil with the onion, garlic and sage until the bottom of the pan begins to brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and white wine, scraping the brown bits off the bottom and stirring while the wine reduces. When the rice has completely absorbed the wine, add about a cup of the squash broth liquid and stir, stir, stir. When the rice has completely absorbed all the liquid, continue to add a cup at a time until all of the broth has been used up and the rice has puffed up nicely. Stir in the pecorino Romano and add salt and pepper to taste.
To make the fried sage leaves, heat a splash of olive oil in a small skillet with whole sage leaves. Cook over medium heat until the leaves have crisped in the oil. Serve the risotto with a few leaves, fresh cracked pepper and a healthy sprinkling of pecorino romano.
