Squash Risotto with Roasted Chestnuts, Sage, and Pancetta

Big score at the antique store today. We have a high end Vestax turntable awkwardly rigged via the lone audio output to an aging, leftover boom box speaker. It's not pretty, but it let's us listen to music produced in the 1970s and 1980s in the manner that it was intended - on vinyl. I am always flipping through records in thrift stores and antique shops in hopes of adding to K's small collection of absolute classics from the 80s alternative scene - Depeche Mode, PIL, U2, REM, and New Order. Usually, I just end up searching in vain through seemingly-endless racks of polkas and Perry Como.

Once in while, however, I hit the jackpot. A dollar-a-piece record bin at a nearby antique store yielded some serious classic rock albums - Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, the Doors, the Police, Johnny Cash. The guy at the check out counter was groaning that he didn't get to them first.

What better way to celebrate the antique store score of the month than to crank out a classic risotto dish to the scratchy, folk country tunes of "After the Gold Rush."

It's a Jamie Oliver recipe. He's gotta be a Neil Young fan.

Squash Risotto with Roasted Chestnuts, Sage, and Pancetta

• One butternut squash
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes or 2 dried red chili peppers
• Salt and pepper
• 10 slices pancetta
• 3 1/2 oz chestnuts (or walnuts)
• 1 bunch sage
• Sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper
• Olive oil
• Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup risotto
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds. Separate seeds from stringy pulp and set aside seeds in a small bowl. Crush coriander seeds and chili peppers in a mortar and pestle. Place squash halves in a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil, and dust with coriander/chili powder. Roast for 30 minutes. While squash is roasting, put squash seeds and chestnuts* in a dry pan over low heat until aromatic - five minutes. When squash is soft, remove from oven and cover with the pancetta, sage, chestnuts and seeds. Return to over and roast for 10 minutes or until pancetta is crispy. Remove from oven. Remove pancetta, sage, chestnuts, and seeds and set aside. When squash has cooled slightly, peel and remove the cooked flesh. Chop half of the squash fine and the other half in larger a larger dice. Set aside.

Prepare the risotto according to package instructions. Heat 4 cups of chicken stock in a sauce pan. Finely dice 1/2 a small onion. Heat onion in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat on another burner until onion is soft, about 7-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of risotto rice and cook for 1-2 minutes until roasted and covered with oil. Add wine and cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup of warm chicken stock. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock has evaporated. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time, while stirring constantly and only adding more stock when the rice becomes dry. The risotto will be done in 20-25 minutes.

When risotto is finished, add all of the finely chopped squash to the pan and some of the larger pieces until the ratio looks right. You will have some leftover large pieces. Save for other uses. Serve the risotto topped with the reserved pancetta, sage, chestnuts, and seeds. Add a dollop of mascarpone cheese to each serving. Place parmigiano reggiano cheese on the table.

*You can use vacuum-packed, shelled chestnuts for this recipe. If you buy them in the shells, score them with a sharp knife and put in microwave for 10-20 seconds. Watch them closely or they will burn. Then open them up. The store where I bought mine sold me moldy ones, so I used walnuts instead.