The roasted butternut squash and the andouille add a wonderful richness to the arborio rice yielding a nice risotta. The roasted squash and the smoked andouille sausage complement each other quite well. An interesting and unique twist on risotto.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information and related links.
Bake for 30 minutes or until squash is tender.
Add the rice and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
Add the vermouth and stir until the vermouth is absorbed.
Start adding the hot liquid, 1 ladle (about ½ cup a time). Stir until the liquid is absorbed, and then add another ladle of liquid, stir until that liquid is absorbed.
Butternut Squash - The squash I used was quite small and yielded only 1 ½ cups of roasted squash (2 cups uncooked). The 1 ½ cups was plenty for this dish. Therefore, if you use a bigger squash, save the unused portion for another purpose.
Garlic Infused Oil and Roasted Garlic - The link takes you to my solution of always having both on hand.
Andouille - As you saw in the recipe, the andouille doesn't get added until midway through the cooking process. Because andouille is a smoked sausage, sautéing it with the onion can "over-render it", drying it out and making it chewy. Any other smoked sausage works great in this dish (e.g., Kielbasa or Spanish Chorizo), but remember not to add it until halfway through. Uncooked sausage such as Mexico chorizo or Italian sausage are also great in this risotto; however, uncooked sausage should be sautéed with the onion to ensure that the sausage cooks through.
Herbs - Sage is always an excellent choice for any squash and for many sausages; therefore, if you have it, use it. As far as the parsley goes, it could be replaced with another fresh herb such as basil or cilantro or a combination of parsley and another herb.
Vegetarian and vegan option - Replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth and eliminate the sausage. To replace the smokiness and spiciness of the sausage, add ¼ tsp. smoked paprika and ¼ tsp. chile powder halfway through the cooking process.
Leftovers - When you first serve this risotto is will be pretty creamy. As it sits, the rice absorbs more and more of the liquid and the dish loses its creaminess. If you have leftovers, which we always do when I make this for just the two of us, I'll add just "a little" liquid when I heat it back up. "Too much" liquid makes it gummy.
Make it a meal - Because this risotto has proteins of sausage and cheese, I normally serve it as the main meal with a side of chopped tomatoes or tomato slices. It doesn't need any more than that.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen