butternut squash and spinach risotto.

You'll have to excuse the gross picture above, I couldn't get an attractive shot of this risotto. You can check out the nice picture of beautiful roasted squash below to make up for it. Nonetheless, it was probably the best thing I've cooked/eaten in a while (ah, college..) and was definitely a welcome comfort food and got me thinking about autumn.



I think one of the few times that I am truly happy is when I'm sauteeing onions and garlic in olive oil with a glass of wine nearby. Oh, you say that most people's idea of relaxing doesn't involve standing over a hot stove? So weird.

I adapted the recipe from this recipe here. I'll reprint with the changes I made included.


Butternut squash risotto

3-4 cups vegetable broth (I used Rapunzel vegetable boullion and added smoked paprika)
1 small butternut squash
a couple handfuls of washed baby spinach
some olive oil
about a tablespoon of butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
salt and pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
a handful of finely grated parmesan cheese
nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)

Halve the squash lengthwise and cut into rings. Arrange on a cookie sheet and season with salt. Roast in a 450 degree oven until soft and golden brown, about 40-50 minutes. When it's cooled a bit, remove the skin and cut into small cubes.

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth hot.

In a large frying pan (one with high sides would work nicely) saute onion and shallot until glassy. Add the rice and stir, allowing the rice to toast and become translucent. Throw in a splash of white wine.

Add a small amount of the cubed squash and stir until a puree forms, then add about a cup of stock. Stir continuously, and add more broth in small increments (about half a cup or so) as the rice absorbs the broth. You want most of the broth to be absorbed before you add more stock.

When you are down to the last few ladles full of broth, throw in a large handful of parmesan, the cubed squash (you want to have chunks in the finished risotto) and stir in more broth. Add spinach just before all the broth is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper, nutmeg, and remove from heat when the last of the broth is absorbed.

Serve with more freshly grated parmesan.

Pickled Beets

I've been interested in making pickles lately, and my current obsession is pickled beets. Beets always seem to be the "unpopular kid" of vegetables, always getting made fun of (I'm thinking of The Office here.) The truth is, beets are awesome. They're quite healthy, they have a natural sweetness, and come with the all the fun of pretending you're violently chopping up some sort of body parts with that bright red color (I don't know, handling cooked ones feels like I'm handling some sort of internal organs)

Pickled Beets

some beets (I used three really big ones)
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
about a tablespoon of caraway seeds

Boil washed beets in salted water until soft enough to stick a fork in them easily, about 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, bring sugar and vinegar to a boil in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Add caraway seeds.
When finished cooking, dip the beets in an ice bath and then work off the skins with your hands, they should slip off easily. Put the beets in a canning jar and fill with enough vinegar mixture to cover the beets. Keep in fridge for about 24 hours before serving any.

Bonus: put peeled hard boiled eggs in the pickling liquid with the beets for red pickled eggs.