Cooking with wine

Saturday I decided to actually cook with wine instead of just drink wine while cooking. I whipped up some Butternut Squash, Crimini Mushroom and Carlton Farms Canadian Bacon Risotto. Delicious! Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons butter
Carlton Farms Canadian Bacon (diced into small pieces)
1 cup mushrooms (diced into small pieces)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Gris.)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside or keep in oven to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or pan, melt the butter and saute the Canadian Bacon and mushrooms on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2-5 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus more salt and pepper if needed. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted butternut squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.