serves 4 to 6
At our house, carbo-loading for the 2010 New York City marathon began with this autumnal risotto a few days before the big race. Daniel wanted something that combined plenty of carbs and vegetables, and I was in the mood to play with one of the season’s carotenoid-heavy, orange-hued offerings, butternut squash.
I’d never made butternut squash risotto before that night, and there are a lot of ways to approach it. Sautéing the squash with the rice is one, and I liked the idea of shredding the squash in the food processor before adding it to the pan; it sounded easier than dicing it. Plus, the shreds, I hoped, would break apart and melt into the rice, forming a velvety sauce.
As I stood over the stove stirring the rice and squash, I thought about the garnishes. I had already pictured a dusting of chopped green pistachio nuts because I knew the color would be pretty, and I hoped the gentle crunch would be pleasant against the soft rice. But I also wanted something tart and bracing to lift the starchy rice out of its carbohydrate depths. I decided to go with lemon and lemon zest for the purest, lightest flavor.
Daniel ate a double portion for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next afternoon before following up the risotto with spicy salami pasta (here) the night before the big day. And he flew through the race in under three hours. I’m perfectly aware of the months of physical and mental training it took for him to meet this goal. But if anyone asked, I gave his pre-race carbo-loading full credit for his speedy success.
½ pound butternut squash, peeled
About 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek, cleaned (see Note, here) and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
⅓ cup dry white wine
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped salted pistachios
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
1. In a food processor fitted with a fine grating attachment, shred the squash. (Or use a box grater, but it will be harder to do. You could also just cut it into small cubes; it won’t dissolve into a sauce but will be differently pleasing.) In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook it until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice, squash, rosemary, and salt. Stir until most of the grains of rice appear semitranslucent, 3 to 4 minutes. This means they have absorbed some of the fat from the pan, which will help keep the grains separate from each other as they form their creamy sauce.
2. Pour the wine into the pan and let it cook off for about 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of broth (about ½ cup) and cook, stirring it constantly and making sure to scrape around the sides, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Continue adding broth, a ladleful at a time, and stirring almost constantly until the risotto has turned creamy and thick, and the grains of rice are tender with a bit of bite, 25 to 30 minutes (you may not need all the stock). Pluck out the rosemary and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed. Garnish with the pistachios and optional cheese before serving.