Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

This is the risotto recipe I mentioned yesterday. A good friend made this Monday night and it was delicious. The pancetta and Parmesan give a really nice salty, sharp contrast to the sweet roasted butternut squash. This is a great one dish meal with a side salad.

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Serves 4 to 6

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken stock

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, diced

1/2 cup minced shallots

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low to simmer.In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.

Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese.

Mix well and serve.

Best BLT/PAHT ever!

Confused? Our new favorite BLT now includes pancetta, arugula, heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

I often receive my BonAppetit and say I'm going to cook whatever is on the cover that very night....however, it rarely happens. This month it actually did and was it ever worth it. (Well, except for setting off the smoke detector with all of the pancetta frying...)

The sandwich tastes as good as it looks and looks as good in real life as it did on the cover. I hope the photo does it justice. Marinating the tomatoes makes a big difference, the fresh basil and argula give the sandwich a fresh, summery taste. I did not have burrata cheese, so I substituted fresh mozzarella. I also used whole grain bread instead of egg bread. The husband suggests slathering it with mayo next time around...but he managed to restrain himself the first time around. He's already wondering when we can have it again!

I also made my favorite summer corn dish to go on the side, but I kind of made it up because I couldn't find the recipe. I'll edit this post and add the recipe as soon as I can track it down. It is a great recipe to use when then corn isn't quite good enough to eat off the cobb.

CRISPY PANCETTA, BURRATA, AND TOMATO SANDWICHES
Bon Appétit, August 2007
Sal Marino
Il GranoI

ingredients

4 (3-ounce) packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)

6 (3- to 4-inch-diameter 3/4-inch-thick) slices ripe Costoluto Genovese tomatoes or other ripe red heirloom tomatoes

1/2 cup (packed) coarsely torn fresh basil leaves

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

12 (4 x 4 x 1/2-inch) slices egg bread or brioche, lightly toasted

18 ounces burrata cheese

4 cups (about) baby arugula or mixed microgreens

preparation

Working in batches, cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Place tomato slices in shallow baking dish. Add basil, olive oil, oregano, and fleur de sel. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and turn to coat. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Place 6 toasted bread slices on work surface. Divide burrata among bread slices and spread to edges. Top each with 1 tomato slice, then pancetta slices, dividing equally. Top with arugula. Cover with remaining 6 toasted bread slices, and press each slightly to adhere. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.