roasted honeynut squash risotto. FOR 2!

Wow a risotto recipe for 2!?! Dreams do come true!! This is really a choose your own adventure recipe because I’m going to give you 2 different options for toppings. One is bacon and rosemary breadcrumbs (the OG recipe) and the other is a vegetarian crispy mushroom and walnut topping (because we didn’t have bacon one night while making this).

This would be a very fun date night recipe or just a nice thing to make for a friend or anyone you love. Because let’s be real there’s no better way to show someone you love them than by making them something delicious (& spending quality time with them, & listening to them when they need someone to listen & just being there for them in general, etc. etc. and so forth)

Okay anyway… for a long time (to me at least) risotto was one of those things that seemed like it might be difficult to make but i have come to find is actually pretty easy. It is a bit attentive but other than the constant stirring, it really couldn’t be easier to make.

This honeynut squash risotto is a play on something I ate in Rome last winter and I have been thinking about trying to re-create it since. it’s so comforting. Sweet from the honeynut squash, savory from the smokey bacon, creamy from the starchy rice, crunchy and salty from the toasted breadcrumbs. The roasted walnut oil absolutely sets it OFF but if you can’t find it just use a good quality finishing olive oil instead. If you don’t have any in your pantry you should invest in some for finishing all kinds of dishes! (pasta, salads, veggies, even a little on ice cream iykyk).

The roasted walnut oil we used is in the first picture up top. They sell it at most whole foods and lots of other grocery stores. find it with the olive oil. Good finishing olive oils that I would recommend would be Graza (hard to find but you can order it online) or Partanna (comes in a very cool red tin and can be found in a lot of grocery stores or on amazon). There are lots others, those are just the 2 I most frequently have.

You can very easily make this vegan by leaving out the bacon. An easy substitution would be sprinkling some Maldon Smoked flaky sea salt at the end to add some smokey/salty flavor that you would have gotten from the bacon. Or you can make a crispy mushroom/shallot/walnut mix to top it. Which is what we did recently and I honestly can’t say which version I prefer. I’ll post the recipe for this vegetarian version at the bottom of this page.

Speaking of squash… You can roast it up to 2 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the risotto. Feel free to roast the whole squash as well (instead of just a cup of it) and just freeze whatever you don’t use for future recipes. It’s a fun ingredient to have on hand in the winter for all kinds of stuff (pasta, salads, soups).

ingredients

for the risotto

this should serve 2 hungry folks but can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more

• 1/2 small honeynut squash, seeds and guts (lol) removed from one half. (roasted its about 3/4-1 cup.) if you can’t find honeynut use butternut! or any other sweet winter squash variety.

• 1/2 cup arborio rice (doesn’t seem like much at first but it really almost triples in quantity as you cook it)

• 2 cups vegetable broth + a bit more if needed. i used 2 tsp better than bouillon seasoned vegetable base mixed into 2 cups water. i think it’s more flavorful then any store bought veggie broth that i’ve tried. but use whatever you like!

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 big sage leaves, minced

• 2 tbs olive oil

• kosher salt to taste

• pepper to taste

  
  for the bacon and rosemary breadcrumbs topping

• tsp minced rosemary

• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2-3 pieces really good, thicc cut bacon from a local butcher if one is available to you! just make sure it’s THICK

• 1 tbs olive oil

• kosher salt to taste

• pepper to taste

• roasted walnut oil, for finishing. or you can use a really good olive oil.

for the crispy mushroom and walnut mix

• 1 pint of mushrooms (your choice! we had shiitake)

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

• salt to taste

instructions

1. preheat the oven to 375 fahrenheit. on a large baking sheet drizzle the squash half with 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. place cut side down on the baking sheet. bake for about 30-45 minutes until the outside of the squash is tender when you poke it with a fork. site aside to cool.
   
   

2. while the squash bakes we’re going to prep our toppings because the risotto will acquire most of your attention for the rest of the recipe:
   
   for the bacon and rosemary breadcrumbs

   1. in a small frying pan cook your bacon until the fat renders and the bacon is brown and crispy. place on a paper towel lined plate to cool then use your hands to crumble it into about 1/2 in size pieces.
      

   2. dump the bacon grease and re-heat your frying pan over medium heat. add 1 tbs olive oil. add the breadcrumbs and rosemary along with a pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper and toss. stir pretty constantly until the bread crumbs have darkened and become a very deep golden color and crisped up. take off the heat, dump into a bowl, and set aside for later.
      
      for the crispy mushroom mix

   1. get a frying pan hot over med-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. add the mushrooms and toss once to combine. distribute them into an even later and then don’t touch them. let them cook until the edges and undersides start to brown and crisp. give them a toss and let them keep cooking until they are browned in most spots. transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and toss with some salt.

   2. add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and reheat to med high. add the sliced shallot and cook, tossing every now and then, until the shallot looks golden brown and crisped. transfer to the plate with the mushrooms and toss with a pinch more salt.

   3. add about 1 teaspoon more of oil to the same pan if it is looking dry. if it still has some oil in it left over, just use that. add the walnuts and toss. turn the heat to medium and let cook, tossing constantly until the walnuts start to turn golden brown. turn the burner off and take off the heat.

   4. BEFORE SERVING add the mushrooms, shallots, and walnuts back to the pan to warm back up over medium heat for about 2 minutes before plating on top of the finished risotto.
      

3. Once you’ve finished prepping your toppings, warm up your broth in a small pot over medium heat and set aside a ladle to use later. if you’re using better than bouillon, warm up your water and whisk in the paste until it is well combined.
   
   

4. preheat a medium size pot over medium high heat and add 1 tbs of olive oil then add your diced onion and 1/2 tsp salt and sauté until the onion is softened. 6-8 minutes.
   
   

5. add the garlic, sage, and rice to the pot. stir and toast the rice for about 1-2 minutes. next add the 1/2 cup of wine and stir constantly, making sure its not sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the wine is absorbed and the smell of alcohol is pretty much gone, about 3 minutes.
   
   

6. begin to add the broth, one ladle (about 1/2 cup) at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each new addition of broth to be absorbed before adding more. do this until you have added all of your broth. It might take a while! It takes me about 20-30 minutes of adding broth in increments and stirring but the slow cook time is what makes it extra creamy.

7. once the risotto is about done and almost all the broth is incorporated, with the exception of a ladle or 2 left, scoop out the roasted squash from the skin and put directly into the risotto pot. add another ladle of broth and stir to incorporate. keep stirring until the broth is once again almost absorbed completely.

   repeat this step until all of the broth is added. taste the risotto for doneness and if you think the rice needs more cooking than add a splash more of broth or water at a time and cook until tender and thickened.
   
   

8. divide among 2 bowl and drizzle each with a bit of walnut oil or olive oil. garnish with the bacon crumbles and lots of the rosemary breadcrumbs. or crispy mushroom mix!

this is my risotto setup! the broth is near by so i can easily add more as needed

:-)

this is how it should look after you add the roasted squash and broth. here its almost fully incorporated and ready for another ladle of broth.