Ambitious Delicious(ness)

In the name of culinary experiments, I decided to take one for the team. I made a broth out of grass fed lamb neck and bones that the lovely Ulla graciously shared with me! I felt that it was time to exercise my risotto making skills, as it has been quite a while since I’ve made risotto.

I started out by making the broth first, then making risotto on the next day. The stock was made by placing lamb neck and bones, a small onion, some carrot top, and a carrot along in a pot with 3 cups of water. I let it simmer for about 2 hours over low heat. The broth was rich in color and quite flavorful.

Unfortunately, I was not happy with the results of this dish. As much as I wanted to enjoy my creation, I couldn’t eat too much of it, as the rice had absorbed the gamey-ness of the lamb, overpowering the other flavors. So my recommendation is that unless you’re a lamb fiend, use beef or chicken stock.

Mushroom & Kabocha squash risotto
Makes 6-7 appetizer sized servings

Ingredients:

1 17.6 oz. box of Arborio rice
6-8 cups of chicken or beef stock (or lamb)
1 medium sized Kabocha squash
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup of Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Olive oil
Dash of salt and black pepper

Procedure:

1. Heat oven to 350. Prepare to cook Kabocha squash by cutting the squash in half, brushing the insides with a hint of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Keep broth warm over low heat. In a large pan, add 4 tablespoons of butter. Add onion and cook over medium heat, for about 5-6 minutes.

3. Add rice and cook for a minute. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice.

4. Place squash in the oven.

5. Add a few ladles of broth to rice, not too much but enough to cover. Leave heat on medium until broth has been absorbed.

6. Cook and stir rice, adding a little bit of broth. Add mushrooms. Continue cooking and stirring until it is absorbed.

7. When the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, you are almost done! Season with salt. At this point, the risotto should have been cooking for about 25 to 30 minutes. The rice should be creamy at this point.

8. Remove squash from the oven. Let cool.

9. Finally, add remaining tablespoon of butter and cheese. Add some fresh cracked pepper. Use squash as a bowl and sprinkle risotto with cheese. Or dice up the squash and mix it into the dish.