Butternut Squash Meets Mexican Vanilla

What to do with a butternut Squash? That's what I keep asking myself and still haven't come to the conclusion of what I want to do with it. Plus with a wonderful gift of Mexican Vanilla extract to use it really is a conundrum to figure out what make from these things.
So off to Google I went and I found a lovely recipe from one of my favorite Food Tv Stars, Giada De Laurentiis called Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto. Sounds perfect until I read to simmer the butternut squash in the broth. I began thinking about the texture and was like no thank you! So with a few tweaks,I came up with this recipe.
I will say this though, I did not have all the ingredients as I planed so instead of white wine I used a splash of Vermouth. It was okay I have never used it before in cooking and to be honest I am not even sure you should. I loved this dish! Randy said he did but wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I am. I just wish I can eventually get my risotto to look like those that I have seen in Italy and on t.v.

The Mexican Vanilla was subtle and not over powering at all, I think if I didn't use the Vermouth then you would have had a more predominate taste rather than a secondary after flavor. I also had a 5 lbs Butternut Squash and I diced it into cubes. For me I would add more of the Butternut Squash because Now I have more than half leftover. That or buy a smaller squash but hell how can you beat the price of 2.00 at the Farm Stand?

Ingredients

6 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 teaspoon of Mexican Vanilla

3 cups of peeled cubed butternut squash

2 tablespoons of butter plus 1 tablespoon

3/4 cup of finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cup of Arborio Rice

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Oven at 400 degrees.

In a Pot place your broth and begin to heat it up.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

*TIP* Use a potato peeler on the squash. It works much nicer than a pairing knife

In a large Pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add your onion and saute until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat with the melted butter. Add the 1/2 cup wine and simmer until the wine is almost evaporated. This should take roughly 3 to 4 minutes.

Add a cup of heated broth to the rice and stir until it is almost absorbed. This should take another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Teaspoon of Mexican Vanilla. Repeat until the rice is tender and creamy in consistency about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the butternut squash, Parmesan, and remaining Tablespoon of butter. Mix well and transfer to your favorite dish or bowls and serve immediately.