Risotto with Squash, Chestnuts and Prosecco

Have you got any half-full bottles of prosecco or champagne left over from New Year's festivities? OK, don't scoff -- there are some of us who don't quaff down a whole bottle in one sitting. In addition to the leftover prosecco, there were a dozen chestnuts and a small hunk of butternut squash in the fridge still uncooked and in search of a recipe. Hence the amalgam of these ingredients and birth of this risotto dish.

You can also use already-peeled chestnuts from France that come in a glass jar, but since I had these fresh ones, I cut them in half and plunked them into a pot of boiling water - not long enough to cook them through, but long enough to loosen the shell and pry out the interior. Click here for a more thorough explanation of how to do it. 

I thought I'd finally inaugurate this heavy copper pot with the risotto - a pot I bought in the town of Guardiagrele, Italy last summer, but still hadn't used.  It reminded to me that I've got a lot of kitchen tools that sit around unused because they're in cabinets where I don't often see them. So I'm taking it upon myself to pull out some of these pots, pans, and other gadgets more frequently in my attempt to "use it or lose it."

After cooking the risotto in this copper pot, I may never make risotto again in any other vessel. The heavy-gauge pan ensures really even cooking without any hot spots. And it's beautiful to look at as well.

Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients at the ready before starting to cook. Missing, but vital, to the dish, is the prosecco (use dry white wine if you haven't got prosecco), as well as butter and extra virgin olive oil. Dice the squash into small pieces because the squash needs to be small enough to cook while you're stirring it into the risotto. That should take only about 20 minutes. Make sure you make a little extra risotto, because my next post is a truly irresistible treat using leftover risotto.

First thing you do is soften the shallots in a mixture of butter and olive oil, then stir the grains of risotto about for a bit -- a process called "tostatura." You don't want the grains to turn brown, so just quickly heat the exterior for three or four minutes or until the grains are opaque. This will allow the rice to soak up the liquids without becoming soggy. By the way, make sure to use carnaroli, vialone nano or arborio rice, short grain varieties that release a lot of starch, adding a creaminess to the dish. 

Then it's time for the prosecco (or dry white wine). Don't forget the cook needs a sample!

Add the vegetables and chestnuts, and a bit of chicken broth, a ladle full at a time. When the rice is cooked (about 20 minutes or so), it's time for the "mantecatura."  Take it off the heat, add some dollops of cold butter ...

and the parmesan cheese. Dig in.

Risotto with squash, chestnuts and prosecco



printable recipe here



1 cup rice - arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano

1 large shallot

2 T. butter

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup butternut squash, diced in small pieces

1/2 cup chestnuts, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup dry white wine or prosecco

2 cups (or more) hot chicken broth

a couple more tablespoons butter and parmesan cheese to taste (1/4 cup) for the mantecatura



Place the olive oil and butter in a saucepan and add the rice. Toss the rice for a few minutes to coat, but don't let the grains brown. Pour in the prosecco and stir, then add the squash and chestnuts and a ladleful of the broth. Continue stirring and continue adding broth, one ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked and tender to the bite. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove from the heat and add the cold butter and parmesan cheese.