Butternut Squash Risotto!

One of my mom's best friends is a lovely lady from Northern Italy, and she makes the best risotto I've ever tasted. Inspired by a warm Sunday night dinner she recently hosted in her beautiful home, I decided to try it myself.

Pics from the dinner party a few weeks ago!

Risotto is known as a labor of love, because you are essentially devoted to the making of it for at least 30-40 continuous minutes. The reason why risotto is so creamy is because the special Italian type of rice required for it (called Arborio rice) slowly absorbs hot chicken stock and wine, as you slowly pour ladleful after ladleful, and constantly stir the pot for half an hour.

I roasted some diced butternut squash in the oven, and grated some fresh Parmesan from a wedge (trust me - this tastes way better than the tub of already grated Parm!), and voila! The risotto is complete, with just a few ingredients, but plenty of work!