Chef Chris Crary from 1 Kitchen Nashville made Winter Squash Risotto and talked about the restaurant’s Pay It Forward campaign. 1 Kitchen Nashville’s “Pay it Forward” campaign is an initiative to give back to the community and inspire generosity. During the month of December, 1 Kitchen will be covering the bills of randomly selected guests who dine at the restaurant and will ask them to reciprocate by carrying out their own personal act of kindness. Guests are encouraged to match the meal and donate it to a local nonprofit recipient, then share how they paid it forward by posting on Instagram with the hashtag #platformforchange. One person will be selected at the end of the year to win a complimentary one-night stay at 1 Hotel Nashville. More information for Pay it Forward can be found here: https://www.1hotels.com/nashville/pay-it-forward-at-1-kitchen. 1 Kitchen Nashville is located at 710 Demonbreun St. Nashville, TN 37203.
WINTER SQUASH RISOTTO
(serves 4-6)
3lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch, sage leaves removed and rough chopped
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 1/2 tbl butter
1 onion, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 c Carnaroli Rice
.75l white wine
1/4 parmesan grated
2/3 cups Chantrelle or any mushroom you prefer
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized bowl toss the squash in 1 tbsp olive oil together with the chopped sage, salt, and pepper. Place on a sheet tray and roast for 25-30 mins until soft but not mush. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole.
Next bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and celery. Cook on low to medium heat for 8-10 mins until soft but not colored, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
Pour in the wine and simmer until completely evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stir the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente. The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy. Next add in your squash puree and stir in. . then add the cheese and remaining butter and leave to rest for a few minutes.
At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. After the sage comes out add your mushrooms to the hot pan and sauté until they are soft, add salt and pepper.
Serve the risotto with the whole chunks of squash, crispy sage leaves, sauteed mushrooms and parmesan on top. Enjoy!
