Dutch Crookneck Squash Risotto

Have you ever heard of a Dutch crookneck squash? Neither had I! Turns out it’s very similar to a traditional butternut squash. That is, if a butternut squash were on steroids!

I love a good kitchen challenge, so when someone recently gave me a squash they couldn’t identify—and had no interest in identifying or cooking—I was happy to take it.

I decided to try it in one of my favorite comfort dishes: traditional butternut squash risotto. A little research confirmed that Dutch crookneck squash could stand in for butternut.

And let me tell you, it worked fabulously!

As with most of my risotto recipes, I like to finish things off with a little butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It adds an extra layer of richness and gives the risotto that wonderfully creamy texture.

Rosemary gets my vote for this dish, though sage would work beautifully too. I added fresh rosemary early in the cooking process, then a little more just before serving. The flavor was fantastic!

Sometimes the best dishes come from ingredients you weren’t even planning to cook with. All it takes is a little curiosity and a willingness to experiment in the kitchen.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups Dutch crookneck squash, peeled, cut into ¼-inch cubes (you can also use butternut squash)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced rosemary (or sage), divided
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 4 cups warmed broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot, heat broth (hot but not boiling), keep warm. In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions, sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes

Add squash, stir together and cook for 6-8 minutes until squash softens.

Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon rosemary and rice, mix so all grains are coated, let cook for 3 minutes (it’s ok if grains begin to slightly toast). Add wine, toss to coat all grains.

When the wine has evaporated, add the hot broth one ladle at a time, stirring every 20 seconds or so. Wait until the rice is almost dry before adding the next ladle. Continue for about 20 minutes.

Once all the broth has been added, stir in the butter, the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary or sage, and the Parmesan cheese. Cover, remove the pot from the heat, and let sit for one minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Apple Bacon Arancini

Featured in the Winter 2021 Food/Family/Traditions issue of RowHome Magazine

Risotto has always been a favorite dish in our home. Arancini (which is a recipe that incorporates risotto rolled into a ball, stuffed with various ingredients, then breaded and fried) has become one of our new favorite dishes to make as of late. Unlike risotto, which involves a lot of patience and stirring…stirring…and more stirring…this recipe is not quite as hands on throughout the entire cooking process. You allow the arborio rice to simmer in broth for a good 20-25 minus with just an occasional stir of the pot. There are also various steps, like shaping the risotto into balls and rolling them in breadcrumbs, that allow us to each take part in the preparation without being in each other’s way. And unlike traditional arancini recipes, where you would stuff the rice ball with ingredients such as cheese, peas or even shrimp, I prefer mixing all of the ingredients into the cooked rice before rolling the rice into balls. This method allows you to get a taste of all the ingredients in every bite instead of waiting until you get to the center of the arancini. Not only do my daughters and I enjoy spending the quality time together making this dish, it is also a meal that we enjoy for special occasions, such as birthday and holiday dinners.

To give this recipe a bit more flavor, I’ve added bacon pieces, apples and sage to the ingredients. For a more traditional arancini, you can leave these ingredients out of the mix, while adding 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt the boiling broth.

Apple Bacon Arancini

2 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and diced into small pieces
4 strips thick-cut bacon
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh sage
Dash of allspice
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Place the bacon in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat, flipping until crispy and done. Remove the bacon from pan and place on a paper towel covered plate. Break the bacon strips into small pieces and set aside. Drain and discard the oil from the pan. 

Add the broth to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread the rice on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool completely.

Combine the cooled rice, bacon pieces, diced apples, shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, sage, allspice and one cup of breadcrumbs. Mix well and shape the mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls. You should get about 20 or so out of the mixture.

Pour the remaining breadcrumbs into a bowl. Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. You can refrigerate overnight.

Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the rice balls in small batches of 6 to 8 at a time, turning, until golden brown on all sides. Carefully remove the fried balls with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve and enjoy!

Apple Bacon Harvest Risotto

A few weeks back, I posted a review of Harpoon Pumpkin Cider (the verdict: not so good). I purchased the cider as a six-pack, so I have since been kicking around ideas on how to put the remaining bottles to good use without simply dumping it all down the drain. One of my favorite dishes that I like to prepare this time of year, particularly on a Sunday spent at home, is a nice pot of risotto featuring seasonal ingredients and flavors. I’ve already put together a Pumpkin Amaretto Risotto, which is one of my favorite recipes on my blog. But this gave me an idea on another seasonal favorite of mine. Since the main ingredient of cider is apples, I though it would be nice to play up on the apple angle. From there, I started thinking of other ingredients that would work well with apples. I immediately thought of  a harvest salad, and quickly came up with smoked bacon, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese. After a bit of research, I found a risotto recipe using apples, bacon and bleu cheese, and white wine and apple cider vinegar as the liquid base. With just a few minor adjustments, particularly using the cider in place of the wine and vinegar, and throwing in some allspice for an extra kick, I put together a dish that I was really happy with. The risotto was very filling and full of wonderful autumn flavors and texture. It’s a perfect recipe for this time of year. If you are a fan of risotto and the fall season, and if you have about 45 minutes of uninterrupted kitchen time available to you, give this one a try. If you don’t have apple cider on hand, I’m sure that the white wine and apple cider vinegar combination would work just as well.

Apple Bacon Harvest Risotto
inspired by a recipe found at betterrecipes.com

4 Strips Thick-cut Bacon, cut into ½” slivers

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2 Golden Delicious Apples, peeled and diced

2 Shallots, peeled and minced

4 cups Low-sodium Chicken Stock

1½ cups Arborio Rice

1 12 oz bottle Hard Apple Cider
(you can substitute cider with 1/2 cup Dry White Wine + 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar)

¾ tsp Kosher Salt, divided

½ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 tbsp Thinly Sliced Fresh Sage Plus a Few Leaves, for garnish

3.5 oz Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled

1 tbspn finely chopped Walnuts

Dash of Allspice (to taste)

Place the bacon in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat until golden, rendering most of the fat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel and drain all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the olive oil to the bacon fat in the pan and saute the shallots and apples over medium-high heat until softened and browned in spots, 5-6 minutes. Season mixture with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Meanwhile, heat the stock over low heat in a small saucepan until it comes to a simmer, then adjust heat to maintain a low simmer.

Add the rice to the saute pan with the apples and shallots and cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes, until rice becomes translucent at edges. Add the cider (or wine and vinegar) then cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed by the rice. Season mixture with a second 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add a ladle of simmering stock and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Repeat additions of stock, adjusting the heat to keep the risotto simmering but not at a raging boil, until rice is just tender, about 20 minutes. Season with pepper, then remove from heat, add sage, reserved bacon, the final 1/4 teaspoon salt, goat cheese, walnuts and allspice, then cover for 2-3 minutes. Give a final stir and serve immediately, garnished with sage leaves.

Pale Ale Risotto with Smoked Gouda, Ham and Peas

In a recent ‘Joe Sixpack’ article that appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, author Don Russell highlights some of the incredible combinations that local cheese makers and craft brewers are pairing together. It was very inspirationional to learn how centuries-old techniques are being embraced and incorporated into modern-day cheese and beer making. It encouraged me to put together a recipe using two of my favorite pairings, pale ale and smoked gouda. It was also an opportunity to put one of my less favorite beers (Blue Moon Belgian Pale Ale, which came in a mixed case…not bad, but by far not my favorite of this style)  to good use.

Because we are smack-dab in the middle of a frigid winter, I decided to go with risotto, one of my favorite comfort foods. I also added to the mix diced ham and peas, another of my favorite combinations, for a little extra texture and taste. This turned out to be a very hearty and flavorful dish that needed no extra seasoning. It hit the spot on a below-freezing weekend night…even my 4-year old loved it!

Pale Ale Risotto with Smoked Gouda, Ham and Peas

1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 cups uncooked Arborio rice
1 12-oz bottle pale ale (any pale ale will do, or an IPA will add a more complex taste)
3 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cooked ham, finely diced
1/4 cup peas, cooked
6 ounces smoked gouda cheese, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Heat the low sodium chicken broth to near boiling, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the rice, sautéeing until each grain is coated.

Add the beer and heat to simmer, stirring constantly. When the beer is mostly absorbed, add a ladleful of hot chicken broth to the saucepan. Stir constantly while simmering. Repeat procedure (ladle and stir once the liquid is mostly absorbed) for around twenty minutes.

When you are down to the final two ladles of broth, stir in the ham, peas and cubed gouda. Continue to ladle and stir, the gouda will melt into the risotto.

When all broth is incorporated, remove from heat, add the parmigiano reggiano cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir well. Serve with crusty bread.