Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Swiss Chard Risotto

Risotto is always a delight. It's creamy texture, warmth, aroma, and comfort-food meets gourmet foodie vibe is always spot-on. It will be enjoyed by a gourmand as well as a picky eater, and it can pair with nearly any other items. Of course, much of its diversity comes from the various ingredients and textures that can be added to it at will, and in this case I chose to showcase some wonderfully fresh ingredients from my farmer's market. I added some butternut squash - sweet and creamy and chock-full of vitamins - some deliciously savory exotic mushrooms for the ever-elusive umami, and swiss chard that adds a layered texture and pours on the vitamins A, K, and C as well as dietary fiber, minerals, and protein.

Full of vegetables yet quite filling with the heavy rice, this dish can easily stand on its own with nothing else to adorn your table. However, in this case I served it along with some macadamia-crusted tilapia. The relatively simple protein allowed this risotto to truly shine without having to compete.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $16.27

Nutrition and recipe below the jump!



Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Swiss Chard Risotto
Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth (low salt preferred)
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp shallots, chopped
3.5 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1/2")
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 package exotic mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 c arborio rice
3 c swiss chard, chopped or torn
1/2 c asiago, shredded

First, put your broth in a small pan and add two and a half cups of water. Heat over the lowest heat setting, just so the liquid is warmed through but not actively simmering. Warming the broth allows it to be better absorbed in the following steps, so simply keep it warming until it is fully used in the recipe.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring fairly often. Add the butternut squash and the black pepper. Stir to combine and then saute for 6-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Saute for another 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are starting to brown and the squash is tender.

Add the rice and stir constantly for 1 minute. This allows the rice to become coated in the olive oil and preps it for a long and slow absorbing process.

Add 1/2 cup of the broth-water mixture. Stir nearly constantly, although gently, until the liquid is just about absorbed by the rice. Add another 1/2 cup of liquid and repeat. Continue this process until all of the liquid has been added and absorbed by the rice.

Toss the swiss chard into the rice shortly before the last 1/2 cup of liquid is absorbed. Stir well. In these final couple of cooking minutes, the chard should be incorporated and begin to wilt from the heat. Then, add the asiago. Stir to combine and remove immediately from the heat. Serve hot.

Servings: 4
Serving size: about 1.5 cups
Nutrition: calories 404; carbs 75g; fat 7g; protein 14g; sodium 682mg; iron 10mg