Ingredients: 6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth as a vegetarian option), one tbsp of unsalted butter, four tbsp of olive oil, one small onion (finely chopped), three cups of butternut squash (peeled and finely diced), one cup of bacon, five tea cups of arborio rice (it can be substituted with medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred), one cup of dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc), one cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese, two branches of fresh rosemary, salt and freshly ground white or other pepper.
Preparation: Heat broth in medium-sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Stir the bacon in a pan without any fat, then dry with paper and put aside. Fry one quarter of the butternut squash in a spoonful of oil for 10 minutes, salt lightly, dry with paper and put aside. Warm the fresh rosemary in some olive oil. Melt two tbsp of oil in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice to onion and squash. Cook one to two minutes and add wine while stirring constantly until the wine has been absorbed by the rice. When the rice is transparent, add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until the broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring the rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time until it is absorbed and the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. During the last minutes of cooking, add one tbsp of butter and 1/3 cup of parmesan. Turn the fire off; add the bacon, the fried squash, two tbsp of rosemary oil and some leaves. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated parmesan.
Italian cuisine:
Pasta with tomatoes and melanzane
