Black Rice Risotto with Butternut Squash

Welcome to the Halloween Edition of Progressive Eats, hosted by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen! I made some spooky black rice risotto. Come learn to make it and see all the other spooky dishes we’ve created for you!

When I heard our theme was Halloween, I knew I wanted to make black rice risotto. My only problem, if you can call it that, is that black rice doesn’t have the same amount of starch that arborio and other “risotto rice” does, so the results aren’t as dreamy and creamy. Well, I fixed that, friends, by adding in some additional rice starch to add body to the sauce it would have lacked otherwise. The resulting black rice risotto is every bit as silky as traditional risotto with the added benefits of being packed with the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin as well as protein, fiber and a respectable amount of iron. With the addition of the butternut squash bringing its sweet, mellow flavor to the party along with more fiber, beta carotene and a boatload of Vitamin C, this is one healthy side dish, butter and cheese notwithstanding!

Black Rice Risotto

Enough talk. Let’s make some black rice risotto with roasted butternut squash, shall we? I even made you a long pin in case you’d like to save this guy.

5 from 1 vote

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Black Rice Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

This black rice risotto with roasted butternut squash perfectly embodies our Halloween theme. It's creamy, delicious and full of phytonutrients too. And butter.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian-ish

Servings: 6 -8

Author: onlinepastrychef

What You'll Need

For the Butternut Squash

• 2 cups diced butternut squash (about 1/2" dice)
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper , to taste
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

For the Black Rice Risotto

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup yellow onion , small dice
• 1 large clove garlic (or shallot), minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 cups black rice
• 5-6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth or stock , heated to steaming
• 2 Tablespoons water or cold broth
• 1 Tablespoon rice flour
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste as needed

For Garnish

• Additional grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eyes (I used sliced pickled jalapenos with a bit of Sriracha), totally optional
• 1/4 cup sour cream (also entirely optional)

What To Do

For the Butternut Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment or non-stick foil.
3. Toss the diced butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
4. Spread onto the pan in one layer.
5. Roast for about 30 minutes, tossing the squash twice. When done, squash will be creamy soft all the way through and a bit golden brown on the outsides.
6. Keep warm.

For the Black Rice Risotto

1. Heat a wide, shallow pan over medium heat until hot.
2. Add the butter.
3. Once the butter has melted and is sizzling, add the onion, and garlic or shallot.
4. Add a healthy pinch of salt and several grindings of black pepper as well as the poultry seasoning.
5. Sweat over medium heat until very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
6. Pour in the wine and balsamic vinegar and reduce until just a bit of liquid remains.
7. Add the rice along with a bit more salt and pepper and stir well to coat with the butter/wine mixture.
8. Allow the rice to toast in the pan for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
9. Begin adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring between each addition. Wait 5-6 minutes between additions until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid before adding more.
10. After you get most of the stock added, mix together the water or cold stock with the rice flour and stir that into the pot. Continue adding the stock until the rice is barely al dente and is coated with a generous amount of creamy sauce. This will take about 45 minutes. The good news is you don't need to stir constantly.
11. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and second amount of butter. Cover the pot and turn off the burner. Let the risotto sit on the stove on the now-off burner for about 5 minutes.
12. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
13. The risotto should flow on a plate like lave and not be stodgy. If it seems a bit thick, stir in a bit more stock to loosen it up.
14. Serve either family style or in individual portions by plating some risotto then mounding up some of the squash on top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and spooky it up by giving it "eyes."
15. Enjoy!

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If you’d like to make this black rice risotto, here are some affiliate links for you with product recommendations. Enjoy!

This is an excellent risotto if I do say so myself. The addition of balsamic works well on a couple of levels: both to keep the dish more black than purple, and also to add a hit of acidic sweetness that plays very nicely with the nutty rice and mellowly sweet squash.

And now, on with the show. Come see what all our talented participants made for Progressive Eats this month.

Progressive Eats Halloween Menu

• Black Rice Risotto with Butternut Squash from Pastry Chef Online (you’re here!)
• Bloody Feetloaf from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Chocolate Tombstone Parfaits from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Halloween Black & Orange Soup w/ Dukkah Pumpkin Seed from The Heritage Cook
• Halloween Pomegranate Negroni from Mother Would Know
• Mummy Halloween Cupcakes from Creative Culinary
• Mummy Truffles from The Redhead Baker

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month we’re sharing a Halloween Menu, and our event is hosted by Heather, who blogs at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. We have dishes that show off the colors associated with Halloween, as well as some cute and creepy ideas. No matter your level of Halloween spirit, you’ll find something delicious to add to your repertoire this season!

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.

We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.

And that’s our show for today, folks! I wish you a very spooky, delicious, Happy Halloween. I do hope you enjoy the black rice risotto as much as we did.

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. Have a lovely day.