ShareThisI always look forward to reading nutritionist Ellie Krieger's column in Fine Cooking magazine, so I was excited to look through her new cookbook, "Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy."
In her trademark style, Krieger makes recipes healthier by adding flavorful fruits, vegetables and whole grains and cutting out unnecessary sugar and fat.
Take her recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto.
By cutting out the butter traditionally stirred in at the end, and instead adding a cup of pureed butternut squash, she substantially cut down on the dish's saturated fat and cholesterol while increasing fiber -- and the recipe is so delicious and creamy no one would ever call it a "diet" version. The warm flavors of squash and fresh sage make this the perfect dish for fall.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
(Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup pureed butternut squash (one 10-ounce package frozen butternut squash puree, thawed)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (1-1/2 ounces)
/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat broth in a pan on the stove until it is hot but not boiling. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until it is absorbed, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of hot broth and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more, about 30 minutes total. When all the broth is incorporated and the rice is tender and creamy, add squash, sage, all but 2 tablespoons of cheese, salt and pepper. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining cheese.
Makes 4 (1-1/2 cup) servings
-- "Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy" by Ellie Krieger (Wiley, 2001, $29.99)
HOMEMADE BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE
(Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Freeze this in one-cup portions and use it as the start of an easy side dish or to make a quick vegetable soup. You can also fold it into cooked polenta or risotto, or add some to macaroni and cheese or lasagna.
-- China Millman
1 medium butternut squash
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash and dry a medium butternut squash. Cut it in half, vertically, and remove seeds. Place squash halves skin side up on a cutting board. Using small knife, make about a dozen 1/2-inch slits about 1-inch deep into skin of each squash half. Rub the two halves with olive oil, inside and out. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Place squash halves skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, adding 1/2 cup of water to baking sheet around the 20-minute mark. The squash is done when flesh feels very soft beneath skin.
Remove the squash from the oven and transfer them to a clean cutting board. Let them cool for a few minutes, then pull off the skin (it should come away fairly easily, but you can use a paring knife to help). Puree the squash in a food mill, mash it with a potato masher or even a large serving fork. Refrigerated, the puree will keep for three or four days; frozen, it will keep indefinitely.
Makes 3 to 4 cups of pureed squash
-- China Millman
(Contact China Millman at cmillman(at)post-gazette.com. Follow her at http://twitter.com/chinamillman.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
