Warming Risotto

There's not much I like better on a fall evening than a big bowl of risotto. It's also one of those dishes that I like to make when I feel like being over a warm stove in a cozy kitchen. Unfortunately, I have spoken to any number of people who think of risotto as a "restaurant" dish; it's just not something they make at home. Maybe all the stirring is intimidating, or they have a fear of over or under cooking it. Well, I want to dispel the myth that risotto is a hard dish to make. I would even go so far to say that it's pretty easy!

As you may know, I'm a big fan of the Recipes for Health series in the New York Times. Even if I don't follow the recipes exactly, I can always find some inspiration here. The recipe I made last night, Risotto with Roasted Winter Squash, didn't need any changes (except of course the usual swap for vegetable stock). I opted to use butternut squash, since it's my favorite. The roasting really brings out the natural sweetness of the squash and that really made for a unique risotto. The dish is usually savory through and through, but the sweet squash provided a nice sweet/savory contrast here. So please, try this recipe! I am sure it will be a success. And work from the base here. Get creative with your veggies and herbs and you'll have plenty of tasty options.