acorn squash risotto

risotto. acorn squash. cheese. these are a few of my favorite things.

another one of my fave things is looking for some culinary inspiration… whether it’s a new ingredient, a new (to me) cooking technique, or a fantastic recipe posted by one of my fellow foodie bloggers. in this case, i was lucky enough to stumble upon two fabulous posts from two fabulous bloggers — the faux martha & lauren’s latest. and this was the culinary inspiration for today’s post.

on another note, i’ve been MIA on the blog for the past few weeks (thanks for your patience!), but i hope you’ve enjoyed following my tweets @yumyumyummers about my culinary adventures around alberta!

now, back to the risotto…

adapted from the faux martha & lauren’s latest

(tip: the first thing you’ll need to do is roast the acorn squash. however, finding some canned squash puree could work as a shortcut. if you don’t have time to roast. though my preference is fresh squash, since roasting veggies is relatively simple.)

roasted squash:
– preheat oven to 400F
– lightly grease oven-safe baking pan w/ extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) or line w/ cooking parchment paper
– place 2 acorn squash (halved, seeded, lightly greased w/ evoo) in baking pan (squash side down)
– roast in oven for approx 40-45min at 400F
– remove from oven and allow to cool before handling squash

the rice:
combine the following ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil:
– 1.5 cups organic arborio rice
– 3 cups water

– once boiling, reduce heat to medium & simmer for 10-12min.
– stir ingredients until water is absorbed and rice turns into a creamy consistency.

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cauliflower mushroom risotto w/ prawn rainbow chard

leftovers are underrated… especially when you have fabulous leftovers to start.

here’s a simple way to repurpose and reinvent creamy cauliflower & mushroom risotto from a previous yumyumyummers recipe. just add some prawns and some rainbow chard and you’ve got a brand new dish. gotta love leftover redux.

the prawns:
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in large pan on medium heat
– brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) w/ 1 tsp fennel seed in pan
– add 1.5 cups raw prawns (deveined, deshelled) to pan
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a dash of sea salt
– sauté prawns & stir ingredients for 1-2 min until partially cooked

the chard:
– wash & drain 1 bunch of organic rainbow chard in colander w/ cold water
– remove stems from chard
– add chard to pan w/ prawns
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– sauté for 2-3min until leaves are wilted and a darker shade of green, and until prawns are cooked through

the risotto:
– add leftover creamy cauliflower & mushroom risotto to prawns & chard in pan
– fold ingredients together until well combined and risotto is warm

food styling:
– for a more rustic look (and for portion control!), i like to dish up creamy risotto into small individual ramekins.
– for for a sharing feast, place the creamy risotto in a large, shallow serving bowl.
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– season w/ freshly ground nutmeg

creamy cauliflower & mushroom risotto

i’m a big fan of kitchen improv. but sometimes it works best to have a starting point. this time around, it was this fab recipe from canadian living that provided a little culinary inspiration.

i’ll admit that i was too lazy (and hungry!) that evening to bother with roasting the cauliflower. and i didn’t have any chicken broth or parmesan cheese on-hand either. so kitchen improv it was… with blanched cauliflower, sauteed mushrooms and some freshly ground nutmeg to boot! yummers.

adapted from canadian living

– heat large saucepan on high heat
– add 3 tsp unsalted butter to pan

the rice:
combine the following ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil:
– 1.5 cups organic arborio rice
– 2.25 cups water

– once boiling, reduce heat to medium & simmer for 10-12min.
– stir ingredients until water is absorbed and rice turns into a creamy consistency

the veggies:
– heat up 1/4 cup water in a large wok
– add 3 cups of cauliflower florets
– blanch cauliflower florets until slightly tender
– remove from heat & set aside

– in a large saucepan, melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter on medium heat
– brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) in pan
– add 1.5 cup crimini mushrooms (gently washed, diced)
– brown the mushrooms w/ shallots
– remove from heat & set aside

the risotto:
– add cooked arborio rice to the blanched cauliflower in wok
– add sauteed mushrooms
– gently stir & fold veggies into risotto
– continue to stir & gradually add small amounts of water, until the water is absorbed
– season w/ freshly ground nutmeg

(tip: use a rasp to grate fresh nutmeg for best flavour, instead of the pre-ground spice.)