New Milestones and Butternut Squash Risotto

John and I reached a new milestone over the weekend: we watched a movie. The first movie since Julia was born. We were only interrupted once or twice - it was fantastic. We'd had The Help towards the top of our queue pretty much since it came out (which wasn't last year, as we had thought). Never having heard of it, John asked what it was about and all I could offer was that I heard it was good and had won some awards, maybe those Oscars (yep, living under a big ol' rock). I picked up the DVD and read the summary on the sleeve: "somebody writes a book about race relations in Mississippi in the 60s." John was not enthused and asked if this was "another one of [my] dork-umentaries."

We loved it, the both of us. And while that DVD summary is accurate, let's just say there's a bit more to to movie than that. I had also tried out a new idea for dinner - butternut squash risotto.

Yum

It was good. Could have been better, though I'm still not positive what to do differently. The sweetness of the squash needed a bridge to the savoriness of the risotto. I'm thinking an onion would have done the job. Ugh, onions strike again. John did say it was great with parm on top. What to do...

Only the finest crystal stemware in this house!

I also had a good amount of wine while cooking this. Straight out of the measuring cup. Guys, it was the first time I felt a buzz since before we got pregnant. It was really fun - Julia was having a blast with tupperware while I cooked, and Pandora just really understood me, you know? But it may have contributed to the odd way I cooked this risotto. See, butternuts are huge. I got to sauteeing after chopping, and only half of it was getting enough floorspace in the pot. So I roasted the rest. Maybe I should have just roasted the whole shebang. Next time.

                                                                
Recipe: Butternut Squash Risotto

1 butternut, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 package ground turkey (1.3 lbs)
sat, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder
1 lb arborio (2 cups)
 1/2 cup white wine
+/- 6 cups high quality chicken broth
1-2 cups frozen peas

In a Dutch oven, saute the squash until brown and lovely, making sure the cubes aren't overcrowded. Or, coat it in salt, pepper and olive oil (option for small amount of brown sugar) and roast it all at 400 for about 30 mins, til cooked through and the edges are caramelized. Set aside/remove from pot. Cook the ground turkey through and add in seasonings and arborio; cook a few minutes. Add in wine, stir, and then add broth in 3/4 cup increments, adding three at a time if desired so you can do other stuff. Stir often and add in more broth as needed. Stir in frozen peas and squash when the risotto is cooked, lower heat, cover, and let rest until everything is hot, about 5 mins.

Parm it if you can!