What, like it's hard?
Well it turns out, it IS hard. And I'm not the only one who thinks so...a while ago I caught an episode of Hell's Kitchen during whcih Chef Ramsay made a big deal about how difficult risotto is to perfect. Nethertheless, this did not prevent me from attempting a yummy risotto recipe I found on allrecipes.com (see recipe below).

This was yet another "learning experience" for me. Don't get me wrong, it pretty tasty, but it didn't necessarily, fully, um, come together. First of all, the recipe calls for both Arobrio and wild rice. Do you know how long wild rice takes to cook?! A LONG TIME. I don't see how making this risotto with wild rice is supposed to happen, there's no way it can get soft enough in the amount of time the recipe says it should take, or with the amount of vegetable stock/white wine/butter that the risotto is supposed to soak up. All of that liquid was soaked up and my pan was starting to burn at the bottom so I had to quit it and just deal with hard wild rice.

However, if you precook the wild rice or just nix it from the recipe altogether, this is quite a yummy recipe. The best part is the Gorgonzola and butternut squash that was pre-baked in maple syrup. In fact, I think I am going to start baking squash in syrup and eating it as a vegetable side dish now that I have seen the light thanks to this recipe.

The shiitake mushrooms and white wine also added great flavor to the risotto, but the recipe calls for dried mushrooms which are 1) expensive and 2) take a while to soften up, even after being soaked in water for half an hour. Therefore, I would say you can just use regular, not dried shitake mushrooms if you attempt this one.

I'm not so good at taking pictures of food yet, so this photograph really doesn't do the dish justice. It was a good blend of flavors and I learned a lot about cooking rice, mushrooms, and squash.

Ingredients

* 3 ounces dried sliced shiitake mushrooms
* 4 cups water
* 4 cups cubed butternut squash
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
* 4 cups vegetable stock
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 1 cup wild rice
* 2 cups Arborio rice
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 1 (4 ounce) container crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Combine the shiitake mushrooms and water in a bowl, assuring the mushrooms are covered with water; allow to soak until the mushrooms have softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid for later use.
2. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Toss the butternut squash, olive oil, and maple syrup together in a bowl until the squash is evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet.
4. Roast the squash in the preheated oven until tender yet retains its shape, about 30 minutes; set aside.
5. Bring the vegetable stock and the reserved liquid from the mushrooms to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
6. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter begins to foam, stir the onion into the butter and cook until the onions are soft and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the wild rice and the Arborio rice through the onions until evenly mixed and coated. Add the white wine and mushrooms to the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed, 7 to 10 minutes.
7. Pour enough of the simmering stock mixture into the skillet to cover the rice; cook and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. Continue adding stock about 3/4 cups at a time, allowing each batch to absorb into the mixture before adding the next. Cook and stir until the rice is tender, about 35 minutes total. Add the butternut squash; cook until the squash is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Quickly stir the Gorgonzola cheese and parsley into the mixture until the risotto is moist and creamy; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.