Roasted Corn and Squash Risotto

It's 11:45pm on a Tuesday night and I am writing from the hospital, where The Boyfriend's sister is in labor! We've been anxiously awaiting this moment for so long, and here I am sitting in the small, cramped waiting room so excited I don't know what to do with myself. Rather than pace around the hospital, I might as well do something useful...

Today's recipe is a roasted corn and squash risotto.  I have a small obsession with risotto. It sounds fancy, it tastes fancy, it looks fancy, and it is sure to impress anyone you serve it to - but it is one of the easiest recipes to make. Do not mistake easy with quick though; be forewarned, you will need at least an hour.

The basic method for making any risotto is simple - toast the rice, then slowly add broth, about a cup at a time, until the rice is plump, thick, and creamy.  You can switch up the ingredients once you get the basic method down.

While you make the risotto, roast the squash and corn in the oven. Then add to the risotto at the very end.

Roasted Corn and Squash Risotto
Serves 6-8
 
Ingredients
1 small squash (butternut, acorn, or whatever you like)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 tbs oil
1 small onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
5 cups vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
fresh basil to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, cut the squash in half and add salt & pepper.  Bake squash for about a half hour.
2. After the squash has roasted for a half hour, add the corn and let roast for an additional 15 minutes.  Peel the skins off the squash and chop in to large chunks, set aside.
3. While the squash is baking, add oil to a saute pan and add the onions. Saute until translucent.
4. Warm the vegetable broth in a soup pan (keep this on low)
5. Add the rice (dry) and garlic to the saute pan; allow to toast for 3-5 minutes (you'll notice the specs of rice begin to become translucent as well). Add the white wine and allow rice to absorb completely.
6. Add one cup of the vegetable broth, and stir, stir, stir until absorbed. Once absorbed, add another cup of broth and continue to stir, stir, stir. Repeat until all of the broth is used up and the rice has become thick and creamy. Be sure to stir constantly, it will burn and stick to the bottom of the pan before you know it! (and if this happens - don't worry, just add some more broth and stir)
7. Once all of the broth is used up and the risotto is soft, thick, and creamy, add the roasted corn and squash. Add salt, pepper, and chopped basil to finish.
8. Enjoy!