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(Joseph’s foray into vegetarianism continues — don’t miss the delicious-looking squash risotto recipe, below the jump. – Leslie)

As children, we’re told not to judge a book by it’s cover, but by it’s content. Beauty is skin deep, and inside the frog awaits a prince. Hunger is primal, though, so we’re often tempted to abandon our higher culinary ideals in favor of instant gratification. In the produce section, I’ll admit that sometimes I’m seduced by asparagus over squash, even in January when I know that the former is feeling jet-lag after it’s long journey from South America. It’s easy to visualize the transformation of asparagus from shelf to plate. Squash? Not so much. It takes more work to make a squash dinner.

Doesn’t it?

Safely away from asparagus-spear temptation, I love that winter squash is tender and sweet under it’s hard, bumpy surface. I relate. And when I’m cooking a squash, it actually does all the work for me. A friend of mine recently marveled how tasty a butternut squash was that I had roasted simply with salt and olive oil. I took all the credit, although I’m not sure I deserved it. But who was going to challenge me on it? The squash?

Recently, I went out to dinner with another vegetarian, at Flatbush Farm, a non-vegetarian restaurant committed to supporting local farms with sustainable practices. They post their food suppliers on their homepage, something that any sustainable diner should appreciate. Meat is still hard for me to deny, and believe me when I say I could have managed the grass-fed Steak-for-Two as my own Steak-for-One. In times of weakness, it’s good to have someone to keep you in check, and I had that someone sitting across from me. And the menu offered plenty of winter squash. Acorn here. Butternut there. Who needs meat when you can have a hearty serving of squash? The wine was nice too.

My frog, winter squash, is getting me through this cold weather. I’ll wait patiently for local asparagus – and the sun.

Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

Serves 6
I like to cook on a budget, so I omitted white wine (a common risotto ingredient). I was more than happy with the result and so was my wallet.

1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 T olive oil
3/4 t salt ( 1/4 t for squash and 1/2 t for risotto)
1/2 t pepper
1 shallot, finely diced
2 T garlic, minced
2 T rosemary, rough chopped
16 oz (1 box) Arborio Rice
64 oz (8 cups) vegetable stock
Juice and zest of lemon half

Heat oven to 400°F. Toss squash in 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until fork tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring vegetable stock to simmer. Heat medium pot over med-high heat and add 1 T olive oil, shallot and garlic and stir frequently until shallots are translucent and garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and rosemary, stir to coat with oil. Add enough stock to cover rice (about 2 ladles) and stir rice until the pot looks almost dry. Repeat the process several times until rice is cooked. Risotto should be done in about 30 minutes.

Once squash is removed from oven, place half of cooked squash in a blender with 2 ladles of vegetable stock. Puree until smooth.

Combine risotto, squash pieces, puree, lemon juice and salt in pot and stir to mix evenly. Serve immediately and garnish with lemon zest.

seasonal food, local food, flatbush farms, squash, asparagus, squash recipe, risotto, joseph baker, eating well on a budget