large high sided skillet, "everyday pan" or braiser style dutch oven
Wooden spoon
slotted spoon or spatula
Medium sauce pan
ladle
Measuring cups and spoons
vegetable peeler if using fresh butternut squash
sharp chef's knife
Ingredients
4slicesthick cut bacon, diced and rendered until crispdo not discard the bacon fat
1cupArborio rice
½diced small yellow onion, approx 1/2 cupdice should mimic the size of the rice kernels
1 ½cupsbutternut squash, peeled and diced to 1"
¾cup shredded parmesan cheese
⅓cupdry white wine
4cupslow sodium chicken broth or stock
1½teaspoonsfinely chopped fresh sage¾ teaspoon if using dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In your large high sided skillet, "everyday pan" or braiser style dutch oven, render the 4 slices of bacon. Once crisp, scoop out using a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on a paper towel. Keep pan on medium heat.
Evaluate the amount of fat rendered from the bacon, you'll want enough fat in the pan to cover the surface of the pan. Add butter or olive oil if necessary or spoon out excess bacon fat.
Add the chicken stock to the sauce pan and begin to heat over medium heat.
Add the onion to the hot bacon fat and cook for approximately 2 minutes followed by the butternut squash, sage, and approx ½ teaspoon each, salt and pepper. Cook the squash until the edges just start to caramelize. Approximately 6 minutes. There pan should not look dry, if it does add another tablespoon of bacon fat, butter or olive oil.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the rice to coat with the remaining fat until the kernels start to look translucent around the edges and there's a toasty smell coming from your pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring until the rice has absorbed about ¾ of the wine.
One ladle, ½-¾ of a cup, at a time, begin adding the hot chicken broth or stock to the rice mixture, stirring continuously until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat until about 1 cup of chicken broth or stock remains.
Add the parmesan cheese and bacon, stir until the cheese has melted and evaluate the consistency. If the risotto seems too tight, repeat the above step with the remaining broth or stock until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if necessary.
Serve immediately garnished with more bacon, sage, and parmesan cheese or store in the fridge and reheat over low heat adding about a ½ cup of additional chicken broth or stock and stirring until warm and smooth.
Notes
Just keep stirring. The stirring helps the starch from the rice create the creamy texture of risotto.