A squashy day

I made Squash Risotto for Ana and me to have as our pre-movie dinner. Rebecca is a great cooker of winter squash, but all too often there are bits of her finger included in our squash meal, despite the fact that we are firm vegetarians. Consequently, I was a little nervous when cutting up this squash. I frequently cook acorn squash, but it has a different physiognomy and is a little easier to deal with.
Whenever Rebecca was preparing squash, I stood by in terror, wringing my hands, as she attacked the rock hard foe. When she used her mandolin, it was even worse. I begged her to use the finger protector which the mandolin people wisely provided, but she said she was careful and didn’t need it. I was sure she was going to slice off a finger tip, and was even more frantic than when she was simply cutting up a squash. She bore my carrying on fairly stoically, but recently confessed that it really got on her nerves. Small wonder, I might add. However, not too long ago, she was chopping up vegetables for a big salad, and Rachael wanted to try slicing things with the mandolin. Becca didn’t want to let her, but Rachael insisted. Rebecca stood by, watching in horror, and remembered all the times she had been so irked at me for doing the same thing. She said she now understood all about a mother’s terror when her darling girl is in imminent danger of becoming a finger amputee.

Happily, my squash preparation went without incident and I still have ten fully intact fingers. Here is the recipe, if you would like to try it. It was super good, and very easy and quick to fix.


Squash Risotto

Olive oil – about 2 or 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced into strips
About 6 garlic toes, sliced into tiny matchsticks
1½ cup of Arborio rice
4 cups vegetarian stock (I get a powder from the Kosher section)
A pound of butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
salt, if needed
pepper
About 6 sage leaves, or dried if you don’t have fresh
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ to ½ cup of grated Parmesan

In your pressure cooker, sauté the onions till translucent, stir in the garlic and fry a little longer, add the rice and give it a few more stirs. Add the squash, fry for a few turns, and then add the stock. Add the pepper and the sage. Taste for saltiness, and add some if it needs it. Bring it to high pressure and cook under pressure for 5 minutes. That’s right! Risotto in 5 minutes with the mighty pressure cooker. Quick release the pressure, stir it a time or two, and give it a minute to thicken up. Sprinkle on the cheese and parsley. Yummissima!