Beef, Acorn Squah, and Red Wine Risotto... MMMMM!!!!!

I have no idea where I got this recipe from.  All I know is that it has to be one of my favorite meals of this winter.  

Our most recent produce delivery included an acorn squash.  John isn't the biggest fan of dishes that feature winter squash, so I knew it had to be a supporting character.  I sliced it up to roast it while I figured out what to make with it.

After brushing each slice with olive oil, I threw a bulb of garlic in to roast, too, for good measure.  You never know when you are going to need it!

For the main dish, I decided to go with the old standby of beef cubes.  To start, I melted down leftover bacon grease on our cast iron pan.

I added 2 BIG sliced up onions and cooked them down to nothingness.

While they were cooking, I started up some risotto as a side.  The strong autumn flavors called for a red-wine risotto.  That, and the fact that we had an open bottle of red wine that needed to be used up.  To start the risotto, I sauteed some onions in butter.

Then, I added 1 cup of arborio rice and let that get a little buttery.

Next, I added in 1/2 cup of red wine and stirred it until it was fully absorbed.

Then, about 1/2 cup at a time, I added in leftover whey and chicken broth.  Each time, I would alternate whey and broth.

When it was almost done, I turned my attention to the steak cubes.  By this time, the onions were nice and brown, so I removed them from the pan and added butter instead. 

Into the pan went the beef cubes!

When they were getting brown and tasty...

I sliced up the roasted acorn squash into cube-sized pieces. 

I added them to the pan, along with the onions, and let the flavors melt together.

 As the steak mix danced together, I added in some butter and Parmesan cheese to the risotto.

The meal was complete!  It was the perfect combination of flavors, and we enjoyed it more than almost anything we have made lately.

This post was shared on Fat Tuesday, Dinner on a Dime, and the Hearth and Soul Hop!