Butternut Squash Risotto

Tonight I had nothing in my fridge, so I made do with pantry staples and a butternut squash that I've been saving for a rainy day. According to the farmer who sold it to me, butternut squash keeps for months after it's been harvested. This one was harvested in October and would have been good for several more weeks.

Risotto doesn't require a fancy recipe: just follow the instructions on the back of the bag and make sure you've bought good quality arborio rice. I sauteed some chopped onions and squash cubes in olive oil and Plugra butter until soft. Then I toasted a cup of rice for a few minutes. I added Imagine Brand vegetable stock half a cup at a time until the risotto started to thicken up, stirring often. This takes twenty minutes and roughly a quart of stock. As per Judy Rogers' (Zuni Cafe) recommendation, I threw caution to the wind and didn't even heat up the vegetable stock; the sky didn't come crashing down, the risotto gods didn't strike me down, and the risotto was fine. When the risotto was just shy of al dente, I added a little cream and a handful of grated Parmesan. I spooned it into a bowl and added a tablespoon of black truffle oil and lots of black pepper. I can't wait to eat the leftovers.

Why did I bust open a bottle of barolo on a Monday night, you ask? Because I can. I've always wanted to try a barolo. The name sounds so sexy, and I always remember Carrie Bradshaw saying "Oh, I had too much barolo!" I know, I'm silly. But today at the wine shop this 1993 bottle was going for so little I couldn't pass it up. I've never had a twelve year old wine, and this did not disappoint. Unlike the young Californian wines I usually drink, this wine was starting to turn a burgundy-brown (unlike the purple-red of young wine). It had lost some of its tanniny edge, but had a lot of complex flavors. I can't say I like it more than a good young wine, but it was definitely tasty and very different from what I'm used to. I might have to stop by for a few more bottles.