The menu ingredient was squash, and I have to admit that it kind of killed me a little on the inside to buy summer squash and zucchini at the grocery store. In just a mere few weeks, both will be so abundant in our yard that I will probably be giving it away. Alas. Despite that consumer discomfort, the meal was pretty tasty: butternut spread with pepitas and garlic pita chips; candied walnut gorgonzola salad; acorn squash stuffed chicken breasts; and summer squash risotto with crispy fried sage and Parmesan. The menu on the website also listed roasted zucchini with garlic, but I didn't make that. I didn't realize that the "summer squash" part of the risotto really just meant roasted squash and zucchini on the side. Additional roasted zucchini seemed redundant.
That said, I think that the risotto was delicious, as well as the salad. I'll share both recipes below.
Summer Squash Risotto with Crispy Fried Sage and Parmesan
From the Ann Arbivore blog
Ingredients:
- 4 summer squash
- 4 zucchini
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh sage sprigs, leaves only
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 750-milliliter bottle dry white wine
- 2 quarts reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 stick butter, cut into thirds
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash and zucchini into circles and slice onion. Set out on a roasting try and scatter with thyme leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
While the vegetables roast, start the risotto. Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot and fry the sage leaves until they are crispy and crackly. Drain the leaves on paper towels and set aside. Add onion to the pot and saute until fragrant and slightly translucent.
Add rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat as you stir with a wooden spoon. Add the wine; cook until mostly evaporated. Begin adding the vegetable broth, a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the broth each time before adding more. Continue doing this until the rice is tender but still has a little bite. To finish, add butter and cheese, and top with the roasted squash and sage leaves.
And now to the salad:
Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad
(From AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 Tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.
As a side note, I think the candied walnuts would be a nice finger-food for a party - maybe put it into a spiced/candied nut rotation with cheese and wine as well.
The guests for the evening were Mike Barber and Jen Raybin, the Hickerson family (Corey and Laura and their two kids), Sarah Smitherman and Tom Robinson and their daughter, Shannon Johnson and Aaron Noland. Mike Barber is the person we ran into around 2am at Jack Brown's a few days back and invited to dinner. It's good we proactively go out to round up more guests. :) We took pictures of the crowd in two batches - the Hickersons first:
And now that I've spent the entire day blogging and watching a Law and Order: Criminal Intent marathon on TV, I think I'll sign off and do some dishes. 11 guests and a couple of toddlers can generate quite a few dirty plates:
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