We don't eat much acorn squash, for some reason my husband is the random guy that doesn't like it roasted and drizzled with maple syrup. But we all love risotto, and I took a leap that acorn squash risotto would go over well, and it did! Though the farro, olive oil and parm are from Italy, the squash, butter & stock are all local. I added a side of local green beans & crumbled bacon. This was one heck of a meal!
Ingredients: - 1.5 cups of farro (instead of arborio rice) soaked over night or at least 1 hour - 1 acorn squash, seeded & roasted @ 425 with olive oil on it for 25 minutes or until spoon-soft - 2 shallots, sliced - 1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese - 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock - 1 pound of green beans, trimmed & blanched - 4 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled. Reserve the bacon grease for cooking the green beans. - olive oil - salt & pepper
Method: - so your prep is done, farro soaked, beans blanched, bacon fried, squash roasted, veg prepped. Put your stock into a sauce pan & add the squash. Set it over medium then reduce to low. Sprinkle in some dried thyme. - drain your farro - in your risotto cooking vessel, I like a large Dutch oven, melt some butter & olive oil and add the shallots. Cook until just translucent and soft, then add the farro and sauté over medium for 3-5 minutes. - add your stock/squash mixture a ladle at a time. Stirring constantly. - at the 20 minute mark, warm up that greasy bacon pan and add a bit more olive oil, toss in the beans and sauté over medium/high. Ladle in some stock, reduce the heat to low and cover. Check to make sure they don't over cook, you want crisp, and bright green. - it took 30 minutes over medium heat. Stirring and adding stock. When the farro isn't al dente, add one more ladle of stock and your parm. - adjust for seasoning and plate/bowl it up. I added some fried sage from the garden and ate some too. Don't forget your bacon covered green beans!
Lucky me, we had one serving left over. It made for a fantastic lunch. Risotto is on my thanksgiving side dish list this year. You might think I'm a little nutty but there's nothing like sipping wine, stirring risotto and watching the parade!
