Butternut Squash Risotto

It’s become a tradition in our house that once the temperatures begin to drop, my husband and I make this butternut squash risotto together.  Typically, either I cook or he does but in this instance, this has become a joint project and that’s probably why I love it so much.  Risotto takes patience…there’s a lot of standing and stirring involved so we like to share a bottle of wine (I would recommend a Sauvignon Blanc with this recipe), chop up the shallots, squash and mushrooms and take turns ladling the broth into the pot a half a cup at a time.  Barefoot Contessa makes a sublime saffron infused version of this dish.  It’s positively delicious and makes a colorful presentation (the saffron threads make this meal come alive).  However, we like to go back for seconds and thirds so we needed a lighter alternative sans the butter and the pancetta (much to my husband’s protests , of course).  This is the perfect dish to serve for a fall dinner party.  You can offer it as a side accompanied by chicken and a vegetable but truthfully, I prefer to serve it as the main course followed by a salad of mixed greens and warm herbed bread.