Friday, October 24, 2008

Butternut Squash Risotto with Pancetta

Butternut Squash Risotto

I have the worst crick in my neck. I think I pulled a muscle in my neck/shoulder before I fell asleep. I remember turning funny, feeling something pop with a rush of pain, then thinking "Crap, I'm not going to be able to turn my head."

It's not as bad as the last time I did this a year or so ago. Then, when someone asked me to look left, I'd have to turn my whole body to the left. I couldn't even sit at my desk and type. Even though it's not that bad this time, it did keep me from working out last night and it meant I was on the couch nursing my neck with a heating pad.

Thankfully, it feels better today.

But whenever I don't work out I end up making poor eating choices. I actually snacked continuously while cooking, downed a couple of glasses of white wine, and then ate dinner. My stomach definitely does not like me this morning. Note to self: don't gorge on tortilla chips and salsa, random bites of cheese, and a ton of wine unless you are wishing for gastrointestinal distress.

I woke up feeling so ick today I downed a good 36 ounces of water before I even left for work. It helped, but I'm still not feeling less than stellar.

So about dinner... it took forever to make. Seriously. This butternut squash tutorial makes it look so easy. But a four-pound squash is not that easy to peel. Or cube. Or cook for that matter.

What was good about this butternut squash risotto is that it goes go in the oven — no stirring makes me happy inside. The bad part? I had to have the squash done in time for the oven to cool off to 325 degrees. So the whole meal took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. It was good, but I'm not sure I'll make this again for the same reason I don't make most squash dishes. I'm just not sure it's worth the hassle.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel ya about the butternut squash peeling/cutting. One of my favorite recipes is roasted squash and it's cubed. I don't cook it that often because it's so hard to get it there. I've tried cutting in half lengthwise, the otherwise, peeling first before cutting, peeling after cutting, peeling by chopping, etc. Sharp big knife is the only thing I've found out from all that. No best way for me yet.

If you find some tricks you like, please let me know! I would love to make that pesky squash more :) (Including this recipe you posted! Mmmm!)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen,
I work at the Dinner Tonight blog and got your note wondering about baking the bean burritos from frozen. We added the info to the post
http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/dinnertonight/2008/10/bean-burritos.html
for everyone, but I thought I'd reach out to you with them in case you don't find your way back to that post.
Reheating From Frozen
Microwave and Oven: Remove frozen burritos from plastic wrap. Place on a microwave-safe plate; microwave on high for 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet; bake at 450 degrees until crispy, about 10 minutes.
Microwave Only: Remove from plastic wrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate, covered with a microwave safe bowl. Defrost at high power for 3 to 4 minutes; uncover, and microwave on high 3 to 4 minutes longer.
Oven Only: remove burritos from plastic wrap; rewrap individually in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet; bake at 450 degrees, 40 minutes; remove foil, and bake to crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. (To reheat defrosted burritos, remove any wrapping and bake for 10 minutes).