Roasted Butternut Risotto

      Saturday was the first day of Autumn.  I have to admit I want to go run around dancing and yelling "It's Fall! It's Fall! It's Fall!!!"  For me fall isn't just about crisp mornings, the leaves changing and nights curled up by the fire.  Of course, it's about food: Pumpkin, squash, apples, pears, warm spices, and nuts.  I want pies with warm spiced apples and pears, fruit tarts with fig and plums.   The smell of roasting squashes with ginger, clove, nutmeg and allspice fill up the room and make it feel welcoming and comforting. Autumn is about coming home.  Preparing for the holidays when you can share with family and friends is one of the simple joys in life.  Because of this, I "fall" in love every year. 
      I was supposed to have some friends over to cook this evening, but that fell through, but no worries, I'm decided to cook anyway, because the more I got to thinking about it the more I wanted to make this dish.  Risotto is a little bit of work, but it's totally worth it.  The trick to it is all about the slow release of the starches in the grain.  Traditionally the Italians use a rice called Arborio (often you can find it as risotto rice).  Arborio is a short grain rice with a high starch content which makes it perfect for this project, but I have made risotto with brown rice, barley, and farrow before.  They aren't quite as creamy, but they are still delicious. 
      Risotto is best if you start with a good stock.  You could buy it if you like, but that's cheating, and they put salt in these things, so it's not really the best choice.  You could make a chicken stock, but I like to keep vegetarian dishes just that.  So I tend to make a veggie stock.  Basically I'll put into it whatever vegetable scraps I have hanging around, but here is a good recipe. 
2 large onion, rough chopped
3 carrots
3 stocks celery
greens from 1 fennel bulb
5 cloves garlic
3 Bay leaves
10 peppercorns
6 sprigs thyme
10, or so, parsley stems
1 clove (you know like the spice) whole
1/2 cup white wine
1 gal water
     Pretty much you will just put everything in a pot, bring it to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer for at least an hour.  This will make more stock than you need, but it's one of those things that's just nice to have around.  Use it for soup,  to cook rice, in some mashed potatoes or just substitute it for any recipe with water. 
      Now for the risotto.  Start by tossing in a bit of oil and roasting at 450 degrees
3 cups small diced butternut squash for 15-20 minutes until it begins to brown.  At the same time lightly roast
1 cup shaved fennel.  It should only take about 6-8 min to get color on the fennel.  Next in a medium heavy bottom pot saute
1 shallot, minced and
2 cloves garlic, minced and sautee them in
2 TBS Olive Oil then lightly toast
1 cup arborio in the oil.  Then deglaze with
1/4 cup white wine. Next is the really important part.   You will very slowly add your warm stock, 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup at a time.  Add a little bit, stir and let it cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, then add a little more and repeat.  You want to cook the rice slowly, this is what creates the wonderful creamy texture of the risotto. To finish it you will fold in
1 TSP Chopped fresh thyme, 
1 TBS butter, 
2 oz micro-planed Parmesan (or another kind of hard, nutty, Italian cheese).  When the butter and cheese are fully melted and incorporated gently fold in the butternut and fennel.  The squash will break up a bit, but most of it will hold up so you will have little bites of squash mixed into the risotto.