Fall Recipe Party!

Morning, friends :) 

Miss Mrs. Caroline and I go way back to the summer before college. She has an adorable shop and blogs over here. Today she is having a fall recipe link up party, so check it out to get some yummy goodies and delish meals to cook up this season. 

We decided to take her up on the challenge of sharing a fall dish.

Fall brings so many great things regarding food. Chai lattes, pumpkins, cinnamon, apples, the cool air for chili...one thing that I love busting out in the fall is the beginning of winter squashes...which brings us to a new recipe for ya'll!

Butternut Squash Risotto

I loved it. It was creamy and warm, which was great for the cool night. The butternut squash was delectable. You should try it out.

Really.

Head to the store and get the following asap.

Olive Oil (2 T)

Butternut Squash (1 pound)

Leeks (2 of 'em)

Thyme (3 sprigs)

Arborio Rice (1 cup)

Basil Leaves (Handful)

Chicken Broth Low Sodium (32oz)

Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup)

Once you have all the goods go ahead and prep the vegetables. Mark and I like to prep everything and put them in individual bowls. 

NOT PICTURED.

before you prep put the the 32 ounces of chicken in a saucepan on the stovetop. Heat it up and let it simmer. 

Moving on...

First prep the butternut squash. You will want to peel it and then dice the squash into 1/2 inch cubes. Here's some photos for you.

cut off the top and bottom to have a solid base.

then peel. 

slice in half long ways. 

it takes some umph, so get ready for a work out.

 scoop out the seeds with a big spoon. 

and if you are like us...

wash and dry the seeds.

pop them in the oven at 300 degrees for around 20 minutes.

enjoy your yummy and healthy snack.

with flat side down, cut vertical strips a 1/2 inch wide.

make cuts through the squash

 you can kind of see it.

they are 1/2 inch.

final cuts and you get semi-perfect 1/2 inch butternut squash cubes.

that kind of look like cheese cubes.

you should have only 2 cups plus some for the butternut squash.

if you had more like me, put the rest in a ziploc bag.

seal it as tight as possible.

throw it in the freezer to make a quick side dish to a meal later in the week.

moving on. grab those leeks.

toss the dark green.

keep the white and light green.

...here is where i would add something looking back now...

make an additional long cut down the middle of each leek to separate each 1 into 2 sections. 

then.

cut 1 inch strips. 

put them in a bowl and set it aside.

take off the leaves from the 3 sprigs of thyme.

chop them up and put them in a bowl.

take your basil leaves.

chop them up.

put them in a separate bowl.

 PREP READY!

Heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat in a heavy duty saute pan or a large pot.

When hot, but not smoking, add the butternut squash.

Let it sit there for a bit.

Then stir some.

Let it sit there.

Sitr some.

Repeat for around 5 minutes.

Once the squash is lightly browned, empty all of it into a bowl and set aside.

Bring the heat to medium and put 1 more tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.

Saute the leeks and thyme.

After 5 minutes go ahead and pour in the rice...

And get ready for the tedious part...

Give the rice a stir, and after a good minute, scoop a cup out of your simmering pot of broth.

Stir. Stir. Stir.

The key to risotto is patience. stirring. patience. and more stirring.

In 4 minute intervals, continue to add 1/2 cup broth to the risotto (while stirring). The recipe online says it will last 15 minutes. I say 25 minutes. Keep the heat on medium, but if you need to you can raise the temp a bit more (I raised mine a little to speed up the process). Just remember that the rice needs that time to cook, so don't go crazy and put it on high!

Once you pour your last 1/2 cup of broth, the rice should still be a bit harder than you'd want it to be. Don't worry, you can let it cook for more. And you can stir while it cooks :) 

When the last 1/2 cup is poured, put back in the butternut squash and let it cook and stir for an additional 10 minutes. 

Then add your chopped basil and some 1/2 cup parmesan cheese...give it a good stir.

Then plate it up and add some of the basil on top as a garnish.

Delicious.


For the actual recipe, all credit goes to bon appetit, our usual stop for recipes. Get it here.  

The recipe I posted was split in half to accommodate for 2 people with a little bit of leftovers (Mark always needs leftovers for the next day at work!)

 Hopefully this will inspire you to go out and make your own fall recipe...and then share it with me!


Off to make another fall inspired recipe...apple cinnamon bread!








Go to the Link Party and check out other recipes HERE