Winter Squash and Shrimp Risotto

Here's another recipe derived from one seen in the magazine, "bon appetit". The recipe calls for butternut squash though I substituted acorn squash in its place. My mother would often use these squashes for our dinners though I now suspect that few people have ever tried one. At many major grocery chains you're unable to find acorn squashes for sale. For dinner our mother would halve the squash, seed it, add margarine and brown sugar, then bake it for about 1 hour. We kids liked it just fine and did not pass up our portions. Also, the recipe attracted my interest because it looked to be manageable from both time and expense perspectives. And, it adds another recipe to my risotto repertoire.

Ingredients: 3 ounces pancetta chopped, 1 pound large raw shrimp (peeled and deveined), 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion chopped, 1 garlic clove chopped, 1 cup arborio rice, 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 acorn squash peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, 1/4 cup whipping cream.

Preparation: On medium high, pan fry the pancetta until just about crisp then remove and set aside using a slotted spoon. If desired, lightly salt and pepper the raw shrimp, then pan fry in the rendered pancetta fat about 1-1/2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Additional Preparation: Add the olive oil to the pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for about 6 minutes stirring often. Add the rice stirring to coat for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, increase heat and bring to a boil. Add squash and sage, reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender and mixture is creamy. While cooking stir often, about 15 minutes.

Final Preparation: Stir in cream, shrimp and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large shallow bowl.

Confessions: I used a chicken stock that was preflavored with white wine and herbs in place of the vegetable stock. While I don't think this substitution was detrimental to the taste, I do think it darkened the coloration. So, to keep the colors bright be sure to use a clearer broth.

Comments: This is a pretty good dish with nice textures. The squash adds bulk which might help lessen overall caloric intake while increasing nutritional value. I also think that upping the garlic amount would be beneficial. The star of the recipe is the shrimp so be sure to cook it carefully, overdone shrimp would detract mightily.

Additional comments: I learned that white plates may not be the best choice for meal presentation. The colors of this dish are better served by using darker colored plates.

Caveats: Be sure your knives are sharp and that you have some confidence with them, if you have not sharpened them yourself then they're probably not sharp enough! I 'm giving this warning because acorn squash can be quite difficult to skin. Scour the internet for tips, but if your knives are not sharp then don't try it.