squash season.

grace is visiting (yay!) and we wanted to cook seasonally, so last night we sawed into the butternut squash that has been adorning my kitchen table for weeks now. i picked it out from the squash stand on the side of the road to get me in the fall mood last month. it's a hefty squash and it'll make many a dish, but we started with this one:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH PESTO
Serves 6; 30 minutes or fewer to prepare

Ingredients:

• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto, divided
• 1 cup chopped fresh onion
• 1 1/2 cups rice for risotto
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
  

Preparation:

1. Bring broth and 2 cups water to a boil in large saucepan; turn off heat.
2. Heat 1 Tbs. pesto in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in rice, followed by 1/2 cup hot broth. When rice has absorbed broth, add another 1/2 cup. Continue adding broth in this manner 5 minutes.
3. Stir in squash. Resume adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time until rice has absorbed all liquid. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Remove from heat, and stir in 1 Tbs. pesto. Spoon risotto into 6 bowls and top each with 1 tsp. pesto.

Tip: Add fresh garlic to the onions. Top finished dish with grated parmesan cheese and halved cherry tomatoes.