After a holiday break and several days of leftover turkey breast for lunch and dinner, I’m well ready to go back to work on Monday and enjoy this red kuri squash risotto for lunch. The break was wonderful – I spent a lot of time cooking (no surprise there) and some time working on the blog, reading, and putting up Christmas decorations. I also feel like I did somewhere around 100 loads of dishes – but that might be a slight exaggeration!
I am definitely ready for a recipe with winter squash again. I’ve been saving the red kuri squash risotto recipe for a week when I know I want something warm and cozy at lunch. It will also be sweet relief when I’m catching up on emails and projects on Monday. Red kuri squash lends such a subtle squash flavor. I roasted the squash using the easy technique I also use for pumpkins (see the recipe here). The roasted squash left me with two cups – I used one cup for the red kuri squash risotto and froze the other cup for later use. This risotto also freezes really well, making it a perfect make-ahead lunch. Here’s to a productive week ahead with great lunch!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup cooking sherry, white wine, or dry Vermouth
- 5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup red Kuri squash puree
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. Leave it simmering.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and cook until the shallot is fragrant. Add the Arborio rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the sherry, white wine, or Vermouth and cook over low heat until it is absorbed.
- Add 1 cup of the simmering chicken stock to the rice and stir off and on until the stock is absorbed. Continue to add 1 cup at a time, stirring and simmering, until all the stock is incorporated or until the arborio rice is to your preferred level of doneness. Take the risotto off heat and add the Parmesan cheese and red Kuri squash puree, stirring to incorporate.
- Serve with a a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
