Roasted Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

I'm always experimenting with variations on risotto. Once you have the basic technique down, there are hundreds of ways to use up left-over items in the fridge and pantry. I roasted a couple of beets, diced them, and added them about 2/3 of the way through the cooking. Once finished, I folded in some goat cheese and topped with leftover kale chips.

Spaghetti con Le Zucce

 

Spaghetti with Squash
-1 3½ to 4-pound butternut squash
-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 to 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
-1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
-1 tablespoon rosemary leaves (optional)
-7 to 9 cups water, maybe a little more
-1½ teaspoons salt, or more to taste
-12 ounces spaghetti or small tubular pasta
-Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino
 

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Discard the seeds. Peel the bottom of the squash, then cut it into more or less 1-inch cubes.

Cook the garlic, hot pepper and optional rosemary in olive oil in a deep pot. Do not let the garlic color. Add the squash cubes and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the surface of the squash seems to be getting cooked.

Add the 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil and boil the squash for about 15 minutes, until quite soft. Mash with a potato masher. Then bring the squash to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the pasta and, stirring fairly regularly, cook until the pasta is well-cooked.

Salad Nicoise

In a hot minute, we went from baskets full of CSA tomatoes to just two. The very last of the season screamed for use in a recipe that feels like summer... Salad Nicoise. Dressed with Jacques Pepin's simple vinaigrette, of course.