Vacation Posts

Off to Market!

Post 2

So my good friend Brett Price was in town this past week. He and I were having a discussion about food and he mentioned a butternut squash risotto that he had made, so I thought, hey, I have a butternut squash, why don’t I make butternut squash risotto. First I made the best salad ever though. Findlay market had some fresh as can be Bibb lettuce that we picked up. Bibb lettuce is great, but it’s very fragile and perishable so get it the day of if you can. I made a salad of the Bibb lettuce, green grapes, red onion, candied walnuts, and goat cheese dressed with a honey balsamic dressing. I know what you’re thinking- “But Jeff, you didn’t have any candied walnuts.” Well my friends, it just takes some walnuts, some sugar, pinch of salt, hot pan, and there you have it- candied walnuts! Anyway, the salad actually turned out marvelous, the goat cheese was fantastic. I know next to nothing about pairing wine and food, but I was drinking some Pinot Noir that went really well.

On to the risotto. First I halved, de-seeded, and peeled a butternut squash. Then I cut it into a 3/4 inch dice and roasted it at 400 degrees for about a half hour. I sautéed some onion and garlic in some butter and oil, added the rice and went about making my risotto. I used Kitchen Basic’s vegetable stock, which is awesome- I highly recommend it, go get you some! I finished the risotto by adding the squash which I mashed up just a little bit, some parmesan cheese, and a pat of butter. I drizzled mine with a little bit of EVOO and a couple drops of balsamic for some sweetness. It turned out really well, risotto makes a great winter dish, I was all warm and toasty afterwards

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For the risotto:

1/4 Red onion

1 Clove Garlic

1tbs olive oil

2tbs butter

1 cup aborio rice

1 quart vegetable stock

2/3 cup parmesan

salt and pepper to taste