Fall presents one of Michigan’s many opportunities for a glorious setting right in your own dining room. The colors, the bounty of pumpkins, apples, squash and root vegetables come to life on the harvest table --a great time to entertain following a sporting event -- or why not on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. And, you can make perfect use of what Michigan’s agriculture and orchards plentifully supply. All you need to pull it off are simple recipes and a short list of interesting guests that you may not have seen in a while and want to visit with.
To set the tone, you may wish to have a brimming bowl of warm cider to greet your guests. A small pitcher of dark rum alongside will be greeted with enthusiasm by some of your guests as well. The warm cider as it is mulled on the stove will permeate your house and create a convivial and welcoming atmosphere.
As I pass farm stands this time of year, my focus turns to the array of small pumpkins and apples. The pumpkins make interesting and creative bowls for your first course soup. I like to have the soup warming on the back burner of the stove on very low temperature to be sure it is pleasantly hot when served -- but yet doesn’t scorch or burn.
A luxury of this outstanding fall menu is the risotto.
This is the recipe for today.
It is a luxury because it is not often served because of the time and care it takes to prepare. For this you need an additional pair of hands that will not be permitted to leave the stove. The risotto requires full time attention. This allows you to appoint one of your guests to be the “stove guy” and depending on the size of your group and the size of your kitchen you may all gather around with cider in hand while the meal is being developed. You’ll find your guests will love to be part of the action. An alternative, if you are in a small space or have a bigger crowd, is to get a neighbor or friend not on this particular guest list to assist.
This creamy risotto is worth the effort. Your guests will love it. Guaranteed.
The entrée here will be prepared in your oven. The rest of the stove is occupied. And the assurance of a perfect outcome is dependent on your meat thermometer. The roast pork needs to be perfectly done and presented while warm and full of juices.
The warm apple dessert will be devoured with gusto, if your friends are anything like mine – and it is the perfect conclusion to a beautiful fall or early winter evening with friends.
This week we will deal solely with this classy version of risotto.
Butternut Squash Risotto with Wilted Spinach and Toasted Pine Nuts
This will make a lot of risotto. You could probably comfortably serve this to eight people as a side dish.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plus one tablespoon olive oil
1 butternut squash (medium, about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded (fibers and seeds reserved), and cut into ?-inch cubes, about 3? cups (save the excess)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
4 ounces baby spinach, stems trimmed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small onions , chopped very fine (about 1? cups)
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 cups Arborio rice
11/2 cups dry white wine
11/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ? cup)
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
11/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
11/4 cup pine nuts , toasted in small, dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes
Preparation:
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add about 3? cups squash in even layer and cook without stirring until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; stir in ? teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer squash to bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to medium heat; add reserved squash fibers and seeds and any excess diced squash. Cook, stirring frequently to break up fibers, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan and add chicken broth and water; cover saucepan and bring mixture to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain bare simmer.
While broth mixture is simmering, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add 4 ounces baby spinach and cook, covered, over medium heat, until leaves begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer spinach to mesh strainer; set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add onions, garlic, remaining ? teaspoon salt, and remaining teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, strain hot broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan and discard solids in strainer; cover saucepan and set over low heat to keep broth hot.
When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth and half of reserved squash to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.
Stir in about ? cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, Parmesan, sage, and nutmeg; gently fold in spinach and remaining cooked squash. If desired, add up to ? cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Top individual servings of risotto with toasted pine nuts; serve immediately.
Judge Kirkendall is a retired probate judge. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. He is past president of the National College of Probate Judges and can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com.
