I don't often have time to spend 20-30 minutes standing over a pot and stirring, but since yesterday was a snow day for the kids, I had nowhere to go. After my workout shoveling the 6.5 inches of snow we got, I was craving something warm and creamy. So I came up with this simple yummy risotto. The butternut squash puree made it luxuriously rich and creamy.
Traditional risotto calls for alcohol, but alcohol is verboten in our house. I used vegetable broth instead.
-alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat 85%
-alcohol flamed 75%
-unheated and stored overnight 70%
-baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture 45%
-baked/simmered, with alcohol stirred into mixture:
15 minutes 40%
30 minutes 35%
1 hour 25%
1.5 hours 20%
2 hours 10%
If you are cooking for someone with allergies, or in alcohol recovery, it would make sense to inform them if you cook with it. For someone in recovery, aside from the remaining alcohol content, the smell or taste alone could be a trigger to send them into relapse.
I used my butternut puree in the risotto, found at the bottom of this page- butternut puree, but you could sub canned pumpkin. If you are vegan, just use olive oil in place of the butter.
1 T. organic butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 c. arborio rice
5-8 c. vegetable broth ( I used 4 c. broth and about 2 cups water)
1/2 c. butternut puree
1 c. chopped kale
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
black pepper to taste
hand full of toasted slivered almonds
Heat broth in saucepan and keep it at a low simmer. In a large saute pan, melt butter, add onion and saute till tender. Add rice and stir till white spots appear on grains, 2-3 min. Then add a ladle full of broth, cook and stir until it's absorbed. Continue to add hot broth, a ladle at a time and stir until it's absorbed. When it is about halfway cooked- about 10 min., add the butternut puree, kale, sage, and garlic. Continue to add broth, a ladle at a time and stir until it's absorbed, until rice is tender and creamy, but still has chew. Taste it to see if it is done to your liking. This took me about 20 min. total. Then add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.
