Risotto with Squash
Simple yet refined – risotto makes the perfect boat recipe
Forget what you have heard about risotto requiring cordon bleu chef culinary talent – the truth is that it is easy to make, versatile and a gourmet treat after a day of cruising.
Arborio rice, the basis of risotto, is a short-grain rice that is very high in starch. It is these characteristics, specific to this type of rice that give risotto the creamy texture for which it is famous. The technique in making a great risotto is simple but a little time consuming – perhaps the reason for the undeserved reputation as difficult to make. In my experience, the task is best accomplished while sipping a glass of wine and chatting with your friends. To get that delicious creamy texture, you stir in hot liquid in batches, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next batch.
I always keep Arborio rice on board as it is very versatile. The beauty of it as a stock item in your boat pantry is that most of the base ingredients do not need to be stored in the refrigerator and can be combined with a number of other pantry items that do not require refrigeration. You can, for example, make a great risotto using porcini mushrooms, or smoked salmon, or pancetta. Or you can use items you buy along the way, adding fresh peas to a pancetta risotto or seasonable vegetables like fresh asparagus in the spring or squash in the fall.
Most of the perishable items in this recipe have a long shelf life: onions and garlic can be kept in a cool place with good air circulation and out of the sun for a couple of weeks. Butter and parmesan can be kept for a week outside the fridge, well wrapped and in a cool place.
The rest of the ingredients, white wine, Arborio rice and chicken stock, keep indefinitely. Chicken stock can be bought in tetra packs or tins and are a staple in a lot of the cooking I do on the boat.
Ingredients
- 5 cups of chicken stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 14 oz Arborio rice
- 12 oz white wine
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 oz grated parmesan
- 1 butternut or acorn squash
- fresh parsley (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
Directions
- Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put a tsp of butter in each squash half and sprinkle with cumin. Roast for 30 minutes at 350 until fork tender. Cool and cut into bite-size pieces
- Heat the stock.
- In a separate pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and fry until translucent.
- Add the rice to the onions and garlic and turn up the heat, continually stirring the rice.
- Add the white wine and keep stirring.
- Once the rice has absorbed the wine, add a ladle of stock. Adjust the heat so the rice is simmering.
- Continue to add stock a ladle at a time allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladle. Continue stirring the rice throughout this process.
- Once all the liquid has been absorbed – in approximately 15 minutes, check the rice to see if it is cooked. It should be soft but al dente.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and parmesan. Stir in the squash and chopped parsley.
- Put a lid on the pot and allow the risotto to sit for two to three minutes.
Serves 6