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Creamy risotto with butternut squash, sage, and toasted hazelnuts - photo 1
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Creamy risotto with butternut squash, sage, and toasted hazelnuts

Pikantne Italian Cuisine Lunches Vegetarian Dishes 70 min Medium 6 wyświetleń ~37.66 PLN - (0)
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Description

This dish is the essence of autumn captured in a single plate. Velvety, creamy risotto, with its deep, sweet flavor coming from roasted butternut squash, is perfectly balanced by the earthy, slightly peppery aroma of fresh sage. Each bite is a combination of perfectly cooked 'al dente' rice with melting squash purée, enriched by the salty, nutty taste of Parmesan. Crunchy, golden toasted hazelnuts provide an excellent textural contrast. The risotto has a beautiful, warm orange color that pleases the eye even before the first taste. It is the perfect dish for cooler evenings, warming and satisfying, while also being an elegant option for lunch or dinner, even for guests. It can serve as a standalone vegetarian dish or a side to roasted poultry.

Składniki (14)

Servings:
4
  • Arborio rice 300 g
  • butternut squash 800 g
  • Vegetable broth 1200 ml
  • Onion 1 szt.
  • Białe wytrawne wino 100 ml
  • Parmesan cheese 50 g
  • Butter 45 g
  • Extra virgin olive oil 0.2 łyżek
  • Fresh sage 0.5 pęczek
  • Garlic 2 ząbki
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Salt 0.2 szczypt
  • Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony 2 szczypty
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Hazelnuts 40 g
  • Nutmeg 2 szczypty
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~37.66 PLN (9.42 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparing the pumpkin

1

Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Use a sharp, large knife and a stable cutting board. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous flesh from the center with a spoon. Place the squash halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, skin side down. Drizzle the flesh with half of the olive oil (about 15g), then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Ingredients: butternut squash, Extra virgin olive oil, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony
If the pumpkin is very hard and difficult to cut, you can put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. The skin will soften, making cutting much easier and safer.
2

Place the baking tray with the pumpkin in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the pumpkin. To check if it's ready, pierce the flesh with a fork – it should go in very easily, with no resistance. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Ingredients: butternut squash
Baking instead of boiling concentrates the flavor of the pumpkin and brings out its natural sweetness through the caramelization of sugars. This is the key to the deep flavor of the entire dish.
3

When the pumpkin has cooled enough to be safely touched, use a large spoon to scoop out all the baked flesh, separating it from the skin. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and mash it thoroughly with a fork until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender for an even creamier consistency. Set the purée aside.

Ingredients: butternut squash
If the purée seems very thick, you can thin it out later with a bit of hot broth. Don't throw away the pumpkin skins – they can be used to make vegetable broth.

Preparation of toppings

4

While the pumpkin is baking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. If you are using hazelnuts, place them in a dry, small skillet. Toast over medium heat, shaking the skillet frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until they become golden and start to smell fragrant. Transfer the hot nuts to a clean kitchen towel, wrap it up, and rub vigorously to remove as many of the brown skins as possible. Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.

Ingredients: Hazelnuts
Be careful not to burn the nuts, as they will become bitter. Removing the skins is not absolutely necessary, but it improves the taste and appearance.
5

Peel the onion and chop it into very small cubes (known as brunoise). Peel the garlic and finely chop it. Wash and dry the sage leaves. Set aside 6-8 of the prettiest leaves for decoration, and finely chop the rest. Grate the Parmesan cheese using the small holes of a grater.

Ingredients: Onion, Garlic, Fresh sage, Parmesan cheese
Preparing all the ingredients in advance ('mise en place') is crucial when making risotto, as the process of cooking the rice requires constant attention and there is no time for chopping in between.

Cooking risotto

6

Pour the entire vegetable broth into a medium pot and place it on a low burner. Heat until hot, then maintain a gentle simmer throughout the cooking of the risotto.

Ingredients: Vegetable broth
This is one of the most important secrets to perfect risotto. Adding cold liquid to the rice drastically lowers its temperature, interrupts the cooking process, and makes it difficult to release starch. The broth must be hot!
7

In a large, wide pot or deep skillet with a thick bottom, heat the remaining olive oil (15g) and half of the butter (about 25g) over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the diced onion. Sauté, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 5-7 minutes, until the onion becomes soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the chopped garlic and chopped sage, and sauté for another minute until fragrant.

Ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil, Butter, Onion, Garlic, Fresh sage
A wide pot provides a large surface area for the rice to come into contact with heat, which promotes even cooking. Use a wooden spoon to avoid scratching the pot and damaging the rice grains.
8

Add Arborio rice to the pot with the onion. Increase the heat slightly and stir vigorously for about 2 minutes. Each grain of rice should be coated in fat and become slightly translucent at the edges, with a white, opaque center (the so-called 'pearl'). This process is called 'tostatura'.

Ingredients: Arborio rice
Do not skip this step! Dry roasting the rice seals its outer layer, allowing it to gradually absorb the broth later, preventing it from becoming overcooked and keeping it 'al dente' in the center.
9

Pour the white wine into the pot. Stir constantly, scraping any browned bits from the bottom, until the wine has completely evaporated and the strong smell of alcohol is gone. This should take about 1-2 minutes.

Ingredients: Białe wytrawne wino
Wine adds acidity to the dish, which balances the richness of flavor and the sweetness of the pumpkin. Make sure that the alcohol has completely evaporated before you start adding the broth.
10

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a ladle, pour the first portion of hot broth over the rice – just enough to barely cover the rice. Stir slowly and almost continuously until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Only then add another ladle of broth. Repeat this process patiently.

Ingredients: Vegetable broth
The secret to creaminess is slowly adding the liquid while continuously stirring. The friction between the grains releases starch, which thickens the sauce. Do not pour all the broth at once!
11

After about 10 minutes of cooking, when you have used up about half of the broth, add the previously prepared pumpkin purée to the rice. Mix thoroughly to combine it with the rice. Continue adding broth, ladle by ladle, while stirring, for another 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients: butternut squash, Vegetable broth
Adding the purée halfway through cooking allows the flavors to blend perfectly, and the pumpkin will further thicken the risotto, making it even creamier.

Finishing and Serving

12

After about 18-20 minutes of total cooking time, taste the rice. It should be soft on the outside but have a slight bite in the center (al dente). The consistency of the entire dish should be fluid and creamy, 'flowing' off the spoon, not thick and dense. If the rice is still hard, add a bit more broth and continue cooking, tasting every minute.

A common mistake is cooking the rice for too long, which leads to 'mush'. Risotto is ready when, after dragging a spoon across the bottom of the pot, the trace slowly fills back in. If it's too thick, add a bit of broth.
13

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining butter (about 20g) cut into small pieces and grated Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper, and, if using, freshly grated nutmeg. Stir vigorously for about 30 seconds until the butter and cheese are completely melted, creating a silky emulsion. This process is called 'mantecatura'.

Ingredients: Butter, Parmesan cheese, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony, Nutmeg
This is the most important step at the end! Performing the 'mantecatura' off the heat prevents the cheese from separating and creates a perfectly creamy, glossy texture. Don't skimp on vigorous stirring.
14

Cover the pot with a lid and let the risotto rest for 1-2 minutes. This will allow the flavors to meld and the consistency to stabilize.

This short rest makes the risotto even more delicious. During this time, you can warm the plates on which you will serve it.
15

Spoon the risotto into deep plates, preferably warmed. Decorate each portion by sprinkling it with toasted hazelnuts, reserved leaves of fresh sage, and an extra pinch of grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Ingredients: Hazelnuts, Fresh sage, Parmesan cheese
For an extra 'wow' effect, you can quickly fry whole sage leaves in a tablespoon of butter until they become crispy, and use them as a garnish. They will be a delicious, aromatic chip.

Fun Fact

💡

The technique of vigorously incorporating fat (butter, cheese) at the very end of cooking risotto is called 'mantecatura'. This word comes from the Spanish 'manteca' (butter) and is the secret to the characteristic creamy and 'wavy' (in Italian 'all'onda') consistency of the dish.

Best for

Elegancka kolacja Jesienny obiad Danie na randkę Komfortowe jedzenie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the risotto immediately after preparation, in deep, warmed plates. It can be drizzled with a bit of high-quality olive oil or hazelnut oil for added aroma. It pairs perfectly with a glass of the same white wine used for cooking, such as chilled Pinot Grigio.

🥡 Storage

Risotto tastes best when fresh. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, add a little broth, water, or milk to the pan and warm over low heat, gently stirring until it regains its creamy consistency. You can also shape the risotto leftovers and fry delicious Sicilian rice balls - arancini.

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