I learned of a friend’s passing a few weeks ago. It was quite sudden and I was incredibly shocked. Sadly we had lost touch in the past year and now I found myself wishing I had picked up the phone to catch up. He too had a stutter and we quickly formed a friendship. Having a stutter and handling a job that not only required heavy communication skills, but confidence while speaking in negotiations was no easy feat. I remember we would talk extensively on the subject. He also loved to cook. He was ever asking what delicious meal I had cooked up recently and we often found ourselves talking recipes and ingredients.
To say that day at work was hard is an understatement. When I got home I did the only thing that made sense to me. I cooked. I chose a delicious butternut squash risotto recipe that I had been eyeing for awhile. And with each stir of my wooden spoon I re-played all the happy times with my friend. His love for sports. His love for this crazy business we are in. His love for planes. Our laughs over cooking adventures in the kitchen. When it was done I was amazed at the result. I’m quite certain my friend would have loved this dish.
Butternut Squash Risotto
*From Clean Eating Magazine Oct 2001
5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup arborio rice or short grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
1.) In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to lowest setting.
2.) Set a steamer basket in a pot and add enough water (~1 to 2 inches) to reach bottom portion of the basket. Bring water to boil and add squash. Cover and reduce to medium high heat. Steam until squash is tender when pierced with a sharp night, about 6 minutes. Turn off heat.
3.) In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add onion, garlic and rosemary and saute until onion is translucent. Add rice and stir for 30 seconds to coat the rice with pil. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly until liquid is almost fully absorbed, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in 1/2 cup of broth and cook, stirring occasionaly, until borth is almost absorbed. Repeat until all broth is added, about 45 minutes in total. Stir in squash. Serve and garnish with a little cheese (we used white cheddar).
The recipe I want to share with you is incredibly simple yet tastes extremely indulgent. The secret is chicken broth and a poached egg. Both lend a creaminess to the dish that will have you licking your lips long after the first bite. I kept asking Ryan, “are you sure there’s not butter in this?”. I love the addition of the kale in the pasta as well. If you want to make it more nutrient dense feel free to sub in whole wheat pasta. 
