0
© Royalty-Free/Masterfile
A good part of huge holiday dinners, especially for the cook, is that there are usually leftovers that can be enjoyed another day. Our mellow risotto uses up some of these extras in a novel way. Expect to be asked for seconds!
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice, preferably arborio
1 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups homemade turkey broth, or 2 284-mL cans condensed chicken broth and 1 cup water
2 cups cooked puréed squash, or 300-g pkg frozen puréed squash, defrosted
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen green peas, or sliced snow peas
1/3 cup parmesan
1/4 to 1 tsp salt
Melt butter in a large wide saucepan set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
Add rice and stir until well coated with butter, about 2 minutes. While constantly stirring rice mixture, add 1/2 cup (125 mL) wine. Stir gently until rice has absorbed wine, then add remaining wine, again stirring until absorbed.
Add broth, 1/2 cup (125 mL) at a time, stirring often and waiting until liquid is absorbed before adding more. (This process produces creamy rice.)
Add squash, nutmeg, thyme and cayenne. Stir frequently until thickened slightly and rice is almost tender to the bite. Then stir in peas. When peas are cooked, after 2 to 5 minutes, stir in Parmesan.
This entire cooking process will take about 35 minutes. Taste and add salt. When using homemade unsalted turkey broth, we added 1 tsp (5 mL) salt. With canned broth, we used 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt. Serve immediately with extra cheese scattered over top. Risotto is best served right away.
Calories 337, Protein 12.2g, Carbohydrates 53.6g, Fat 7g, Fibre 4g, Sodium 875mg.
Look for short, fat and starchy rice to make a creamy risotto. During a risotto's long simmering and constant stirring, the starch helps to form a sauce so creamy that it is hard to believe no whipping cream has been added. Arborio, named for a village in the Piedmont region of Italy, is the most widely available short-grain rice. The best quality is labeled superfino, followed by fino and then semifino. Less widely available, though often preferred over Arborio, are carnaroli and vialone nano. Store rice in a cool dry spot.