Butternut Squash Take 1- Risotto

Fall is hands-down my favorite season. The beautiful colors on the trees, the gorgeous blue of the sky, the air that you just want to take a bite out of... The list goes on and on!

The awesome fall produce is definitely a perk to the season (as is being able to see the lake from my front window!). Last fall John and I went Apple Picking and had SO MUCH FUN. This fall's first produce meal is Butternut Squash, Risotto Style... MMMmmMMMmm.....

I saw the recipe in a cookbook from the library and knew right then and there I had to have it. The only little itty bitty problem? Apparently I didn't have the ingredients I thought I had.

The recipe called for 1.5 cups of Arborio Rice. I had barely a cup. The recipe called for a rind of Parmesan cheese. Apparently I had a rind of another (cheddar? goat?). The recipe called for 2.5 cups of butternut squash, peeled and sliced. I had a bit more.

Yeah. I had a lot more.

So the recipe. The original recipe is in "Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks" by Linda Carucci and looks amazing. My version? It was okay. Not bad for what I had.

Not pictured? The rice flour used to make up for the fact that I was missing enough rice.

An onion was chopped finely and added to a buttery pan.

While they softened, I chopped WAY TOO MUCH butternut squash in the food processor.

2 cups of said squash were added to the softened onions, along with some sage and sea salt.

For perspective, let me show you what the food processor looked like with the 2 cups of squash removed.

Right. Too much squash.

So the seasoned onion and squash warmed up and the squash started to get sticky. At that point, I added some chicken stock to the pan and brought it to a boil.

When the squash started to break down and get all mushy, I added the rice and what I THOUGHT were Parmesan rinds. John informed me later that night that they were not. I don't know WHAT kind of cheese they were.

As it cooked, I kept adding chicken stock. Unfortunately, when it was done, it needed to be thicker. I thought quickly and remembered we had some rice flour in the pantry. Just the thing!