Butternut Squash Wheatberry Fauxsotto

I won’t call this a risotto because it’s not. It takes much less time than a traditional risotto and doesn’t quite achieve the ability of risotto to “stand-up” when it’s ready. What this is is one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve prepared in a long time and yet it is so incredibly simple it can easily be made on a weeknight when time is minimal.

Butternut Squash Fauxsotto

adapted from Peanut Butter Fingers

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c wheatberries (mine are from the Whole Foods bulk bins)
• 3 c broth (I used chicken but use whatever you prefer)
• 2 c butternut squash, chopped
• 1 t fresh Thyme, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped (optional, I used dehydrated onion flakes)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Parmesan Cheese, for topping

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and Thyme until onions soften (if you use dehydrated onions you don’t really need to wait) add wheatberries and cook, stirring often, for just a few minutes.

Turn up heat to medium-high, add 2 c broth and squash. Stir constantly but allow pot to simmer.  The squash will break down and the broth will absorb. After 2 c of broth is absorbed, begin adding a little more broth at a time until it is absorbed. Repeat until last cup of broth has been added. When the fauxsotto has thickened, it is done.

Serve with fresh grated parmesan on top and optionally add sprigs of fresh Thyme for garnish.

Serves 2

Butternut Squash Waffles

Lazy Saturday mornings make me happy. No real plans, nowhere to be and time to actually make breakfast rather than grab it on the run.

When I saw Jessica's recipe for Whole Wheat Butternut Waffles, I knew this was going to be a weekend treat I’d have to make. And it just happened to be perfect timing because I had a good size chunk of leftover butternut squash in the refrigerator.

Whole Wheat Butternut Waffles (from howsweeteats.com)

serves 3-4

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour  (I used regular WW flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butternut squash puree

1 egg

1 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat waffle iron. Combine dry ingredients, then stir in squash, egg, milk and vanilla. Scoop about 1/3 cup batter onto waffle iron and cook until heated through.

*Note: I added about 1/4 cup additional milk and 1/4 water to batter because mine was super thick (presumably because I didn’t use pastry flour)

Top with cinnamon cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Cinnamon Cream

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon honey

sprinkle of nutmeg

Mix ingredients together until smooth. Add to waffles.

I covered mine in maple syrup too…simply divine.

Pesto & Butternut Squash Pizza

So last night I made a pizza for dinner, it took longer than I anticipated and a late start didn’t help matters but I finally settled in with a couple of slices around 10 PM and it was love at first bite. I loosely followed a recipe I found on another blog and went to town preparing my butternut squash, pesto pizza. I was pretty psyched to use my newly acquired pizza stone (thanks to my mom)!

Here’s the recipe (makes one 15inch pizza):
Ball of whole wheat pizza dough
2 slices lean turkey bacon* optional
1 cup pesto prepared (or you can make your own... I was lazy)
4 slices provolone cheese
parmesan cheese (for grating on top)
olive oil
sugar
20 oz butternut squash (half of a squash or one bag frozen as I used)
1 can diced tomatoes (I used tomatoes seasoned with oregano and garlic)
oregano

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Toss thawed squash (or if you use fresh, dice it into cubes) with sugar (I used just a pinch) and olive oil (a quick drizzle). Roast for 20 minutes, stirring once half way through. *I cooked the turkey bacon in the oven at the same time*
2. Once squash is done, raise the oven temperature to 450. Roll out the pizza dough onto a floured pizza pan. Top with provolone cheese and tomatoes. Mix butternut squash with pesto and crumbled bacon and pour onto the top of the pizza. Top with oregano and parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

Though I absolutely loved the end result, I’d make a few changes next time. I’d definitely make my own pesto (which was the plan but then time and hunger intervened) and use fresh butternut squash. Though the frozen squash held up well, it got a bit mushy during the mixing process and changed my pizza a bit aesthetically from what I was imagining. Oh well. I did think that the turkey bacon was a nice touch… I just added it because I had some in the fridge and welcomed the addition.

 

 

So it wasn’t the prettiest pizza but it was hearty and full of flavor. This recipe has inspired me to dream up other non-traditional pizza toppings!