Eating Local: Acorn Squash Risotto

20121004-104947.jpg We don't eat much acorn squash, for some reason my husband is the random guy that doesn't like it roasted and drizzled with maple syrup. But we all love risotto, and I took a leap that acorn squash risotto would go over well, and it did! Though the farro, olive oil and parm are from Italy, the squash, butter & stock are all local. I added a side of local green beans & crumbled bacon. This was one heck of a meal!

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Ingredients: - 1.5 cups of farro (instead of arborio rice) soaked over night or at least 1 hour - 1 acorn squash, seeded & roasted @ 425 with olive oil on it for 25 minutes or until spoon-soft - 2 shallots, sliced - 1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese - 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock - 1 pound of green beans, trimmed & blanched - 4 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled. Reserve the bacon grease for cooking the green beans. - olive oil - salt & pepper

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Method: - so your prep is done, farro soaked, beans blanched, bacon fried, squash roasted, veg prepped. Put your stock into a sauce pan & add the squash. Set it over medium then reduce to low. Sprinkle in some dried thyme. - drain your farro - in your risotto cooking vessel, I like a large Dutch oven, melt some butter & olive oil and add the shallots. Cook until just translucent and soft, then add the farro and sauté over medium for 3-5 minutes. - add your stock/squash mixture a ladle at a time. Stirring constantly. - at the 20 minute mark, warm up that greasy bacon pan and add a bit more olive oil, toss in the beans and sauté over medium/high. Ladle in some stock, reduce the heat to low and cover. Check to make sure they don't over cook, you want crisp, and bright green. - it took 30 minutes over medium heat. Stirring and adding stock. When the farro isn't al dente, add one more ladle of stock and your parm. - adjust for seasoning and plate/bowl it up. I added some fried sage from the garden and ate some too. Don't forget your bacon covered green beans!

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Lucky me, we had one serving left over. It made for a fantastic lunch. Risotto is on my thanksgiving side dish list this year. You might think I'm a little nutty but there's nothing like sipping wine, stirring risotto and watching the parade!

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