Who doesn’t love a great, home-cooked meal?  I have to admit, we eat a lot of the same things week after week with various subtle differences.  And, both our backgrounds are Italian and we love it.  For our first dinner date, I made a variation of squash risotto and I asked Dave during our meal, “What is your favorite food?”  He sweetly replied, “Risotto!”  Whether he was just saying that to gain brownie points, I’ve ma
de it weekly ever since.  It’s a great way to honor our meat-less dinner night (which we try to have at least 3 to 4 days per week).  In addition, considering I save all of my veggies scraps throughout the week and make homemade veggie stock, I need various reasons to make sure I use all the stock before it goes bad.

For those not privy, Risotto is an Italian rice specialty made by stirring hot stock into a mixture of rice — typically along with chopped onions and garlic — that has all been sautéed in butter.  The stock is stirred in 1/2 cup at a time and the mixture stirred continually while it cooks until all liquid is absorbed before more stock is added.  This labor-intensive technique results in rice that is delectably creamy while the grains remain separate and firm.  Technically while any short grain can be used to make Risotto, I prefer to use the Italian Arborio rice for my Risotto recipes. Why?  Because of Arborio rice’s increased starch (due to kernels of rice being shorter and fatter than other short grain rice) it is the traditional grain to achieve the creamy, yummy Risotto goodness.  I like to add other veggies like squash or peas or zucchini or mushrooms — you get the drift.  I prefer squash because it’s a great winter vegetable and I’m more keen on the colorful hues not only because they’re aesthetically pleasing, but I have macular degeneration in my family and copious amounts of beta-carotene (squash) and Vit C (Brussels sprouts) are key.

Is your mouth watering yet?!  You can understand why this is a favorite in our household.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• Small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbl unsalted butter
• 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 4.5 cups stock
• 1/2 cup (or more) fresh grated Parmesan
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts (not frozen)
• 3 Tbl olive oil
• Green onions for garnish

Place stock in pot and heat to medium and keep warm on burner.  Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 400. Mix Brussels sprouts in 1 Tbl oil and generous salt and pepper and place on baking sheet and set in oven and set timer for 40 min.   Heat deep sauté pan with the butter until melted and add cubed squash and salt and pepper for seasoning and cook on med-high heat unit soft.  Transfer to a bowl to add at the end.  Heat the remaining 2 Tbl oil in the sauté pan and  add diced onions and stir until soft (about 3 to 4 minutes), then add garlic and stir for another 2 to 3 min.  Add salt and pepper for flavoring. Add Arborio rice to onion/garlic mix and toast for another few minutes while stirring consistently.  Add 1/2 cup of stock to pan and continue to stir until liquid is absorbed.  Repeat this step until stock is gone.  When the last remaining stock is almost gone, add back in the cooked squash along with the Parmesan and stir until all mixed.  Taste and add seasonings as you see fit.  Serve with side of roasted Brussels sprouts.