Yellow Squash Risotto
For the risotto:
2 medium-sized yellow summer squash, grated on the large holes of a box grater. When the grater gets too close to your fingers, add the remaining pieces of squash to the cooking liquid.
1 cup Arborio rice
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ onion or 1 large shallot, finely diced
¼ cup carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp bacon fat (optional - or just use a little more olive oil)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (optional)
¼ - 1/3 cup Pinot Grigio
¼ cup grated Locatelli cheese
Salt and black pepper
For the cooking liquid:
I think of a risotto’s cooking liquid as an opportunity to reinforce the flavor that you’re cooking into the rice.
3 cups water
¼ cup Pinot Grigio
¼ onion, peeled
1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
½ stalk celery
5 parsley stems
2 inches or so carrot. It can be grated if you want
Ends of the squash and any raggedy pieces left over from grating
2-inch piece of cheese rind
1 dried bay leaf
Salt and black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients for the cooking liquid and simmer while you prepare the ingredients for the risotto.
Heat the bacon fat (if using) and olive oil over medium in a nonstick pan. Cook the onion or shallot, garlic and about ¾ of the grated squash and carrots in it for a about 3 minutes. When the vegetables just start to become tender, add a touch of salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes, or until they just start to turn brown. Add the rice. Sauté and stir until rice looks pearly and smells nutty. Add the wine. Cook and stir until there is hardly any wine visible.
Add cooking liquid one or two ladles full at a time. Stir thoroughly after each addition. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid in each addition, it is ready for more. If you think you are going to run out of liquid, add some water and more of the seasonings to the remaining liquid before you run out. Make sure the liquid you add to the rice is hot, though, otherwise you really slow down the rice’s cooking. A few times throughout this process, taste the sauce forming in the risotto for salt and pepper.
Midway through this process (about 10 minutes in), add the rest of the grated carrot and squash with another ladle of the cooking liquid. Then, continue the ladling and stirring process until rice is almost completely tender, yet still has some resistance in the center of each grain. This should take about 10 or 12 more minutes. Risotto really only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
At this point turn off the heat and stir in the Locatelli, parsley, and butter, if you decide to use it, and I strongly urge that you do. I used to go butterless, but was amazed at the difference it made when I tried it the first time. It rounds out the flavor very nicely.
Remove the solids from any leftover cooking liquid and use it to cook pasta or rice, or as the beginning of a soup.
-Elena
2 medium-sized yellow summer squash, grated on the large holes of a box grater. When the grater gets too close to your fingers, add the remaining pieces of squash to the cooking liquid.
1 cup Arborio rice
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ onion or 1 large shallot, finely diced
¼ cup carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp bacon fat (optional - or just use a little more olive oil)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (optional)
¼ - 1/3 cup Pinot Grigio
¼ cup grated Locatelli cheese
Salt and black pepper
For the cooking liquid:
I think of a risotto’s cooking liquid as an opportunity to reinforce the flavor that you’re cooking into the rice.
3 cups water
¼ cup Pinot Grigio
¼ onion, peeled
1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
½ stalk celery
5 parsley stems
2 inches or so carrot. It can be grated if you want
Ends of the squash and any raggedy pieces left over from grating
2-inch piece of cheese rind
1 dried bay leaf
Salt and black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients for the cooking liquid and simmer while you prepare the ingredients for the risotto.
Heat the bacon fat (if using) and olive oil over medium in a nonstick pan. Cook the onion or shallot, garlic and about ¾ of the grated squash and carrots in it for a about 3 minutes. When the vegetables just start to become tender, add a touch of salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes, or until they just start to turn brown. Add the rice. Sauté and stir until rice looks pearly and smells nutty. Add the wine. Cook and stir until there is hardly any wine visible.
Add cooking liquid one or two ladles full at a time. Stir thoroughly after each addition. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid in each addition, it is ready for more. If you think you are going to run out of liquid, add some water and more of the seasonings to the remaining liquid before you run out. Make sure the liquid you add to the rice is hot, though, otherwise you really slow down the rice’s cooking. A few times throughout this process, taste the sauce forming in the risotto for salt and pepper.
Midway through this process (about 10 minutes in), add the rest of the grated carrot and squash with another ladle of the cooking liquid. Then, continue the ladling and stirring process until rice is almost completely tender, yet still has some resistance in the center of each grain. This should take about 10 or 12 more minutes. Risotto really only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
At this point turn off the heat and stir in the Locatelli, parsley, and butter, if you decide to use it, and I strongly urge that you do. I used to go butterless, but was amazed at the difference it made when I tried it the first time. It rounds out the flavor very nicely.
Remove the solids from any leftover cooking liquid and use it to cook pasta or rice, or as the beginning of a soup.
-Elena
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