Bacon, Butternut & Bellas Risotto

I think Mr. Lunt is about the coolest character. He is a gourd (looks like a butternut squash) from New Jersey that speaks with some bizarre combination of and Italian/Hispanic accent. He has no eyes, but there is no mistaking emotion and expression because of clever usage of the brim of his hat. And he loves cheeseburgers.

I have to say that squash is never my first choice of veggies to eat, but when combined with the right ingredients, I would choose it every day. Things like chicken, rice, BACON. Need I say more???

(Don’t you love those containers? They belonged to my grandma – probably from the 1940’s)

And then there is saffron. Saffron – the most expensive spice in the world. It is collected from crocus blooms, and has been used for trade, medicinal purposes, and in cooking for thousands of years.

Why so expensive? One pound of saffron requires harvesting 75,000 flowers, and about 20 hours of manual labour. One pound of quality saffron would likely cost about $5,000! Thankfully, there’s no need to purchase – or use – large quantities in cooking.

A few small threads will provide the glowing golden colour and warm flavour desired for a batch of risotto. In fact, “some people” say that saffron is necessary to create a “true risotto”. In this case, I’ll agree with the experts. 😁

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay bacon strips in a single layer, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Put that in the oven.

Butternut squash is easy to find during the fall and winter. It has a mild flavour that doesn’t stand out, and a texture different from other, more stringy squashes. The easiest way to cut a butternut is trim the top and bottom so it stands stable, and then lop off the bulbous part, separating it from the “neck”.

Slice off the rind from the neck, which leaves it easy to dice.

Then slice the rind off the bottom portion, and cut in half. Using a spoon, scrape out the seed and fibrous stuff surrounding them.

Toss the diced squash with olive oil, honey, salt & pepper, and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg. On another baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I don’t like washing pans!), bake the squash at the same time as bacon.

While the squash and bacon are in the oven, heat the stock and water in a pan, along with the saffron. Once it begins to simmer, turn down the heat to keep warm. Don’t allow it to boil hard!

In a large pot, sauté the onion, carrots, and bellas for about 5 minutes. Then add in the garlic and rice. Allow that to toast for another 2-3 minutes, making sure that the garlic doesn’t scorch.

Deglaze the pan with wine. Begin adding a few ladles of stock at a time, stirring vigorously with each addition. It’s “beating” the rice that releases the starches and makes a creamy risotto. See how white the liquid looks? That’s the starchiness making its presence known.

Here’s the deal — if you don’t beat the rice to release the starches, you end up with rice pilaf. Not a bad deal, but if you want creamy risotto, you need to stir aggressively.

Continue adding stock a little at a time, beating the mixture, and allowing the liquid to soak in. This process takes about 20 minutes. (No need to constantly stir, so you can be grating cheese, shredding chicken, setting the table, etc. while the risotto is cooking.) After 20 minutes the risotto will look a little soupy, but that’s okay. It will continue to set.

About the time all the broth has been added, you can take the squash and bacon out of the oven. (Bacon takes about 30 minutes, and the squash about 25. Risotto takes 20 minutes to cook. See how convenient that is???)

Chop the bacon. Fork-mash the squash. Stir them into the risotto, along with the butter and grated parmesan.

This type of risotto is truly an entrée. Eliminate the bacon and chicken, and you have a wonderful side dish.

If you have any leftovers, they are easy to freeze and reheat.

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