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Pecorino Risotto Squash Boats

Risotto Stuffed Squash with Raclette and Fried Sage

What could be a better vessel for a rich and creamy risotto than a velvety acorn squash? Roasting the acorn squash while stirring risotto cuts the cook-time for this Risotto Stuffed Squash down to an efficient 60 minutes. Save even more time by scooping the seeds out of the squash after roasting - it's much easier.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 acorn squash split in half
  • 4 tbsp olive oil divided
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 6-8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 Parmigiano Reggiano rind** optional
  • 2 bay leaves preferably fresh
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups pecorino shredded
  • 4 slices raclette
  • 6 sage leaves
  • finishing salt I used Maldon's Smoked Salt

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Place the acorn squash, cut-side-up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
  3. Place the squash in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes, rotating once half-way through..
  4. While the squash is roasting, pour the vegetable stock into a large saucepan. Add the bay leaves and Parmigiano Reggiano rind to the pot and place over high heat. Bring the stock to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer.
  5. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Place over medium-low heat and add the onion. Once the onion begins to leech liquid, sprinkle with salt and saute until just translucent, about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir the rice into the pan and increase the heat to medium. Saute the rice until it begins to crackle and becomes slightly transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed.
  7. Spoon two ladles-full of the stock over the rice and stir until the liquid is completely absorbed. Repeat this step until the stock is mostly gone and the rice is creamy and tender. Take the rice off of the heat and stir in the pecorino. Taste and season with salt accordingly.
  8. Once the squash is roasted, take it out of the oven and scoop out and discard the seeds. Fill each squash half with as much risotto as it can hold and cover it with two slices of raclette.
  9. Place the stuffed squash under the broiler and broil until the cheese has melted and begun to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
  10. While the squash is under the broiler, pour the remaining olive oil into a small skillet. Add the sage leaves and place over medium heat. Fry the sage until it just begins to curl, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the sage to a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with finishing salt.
  11. Garnish the stuffed squash with a few leaves of the fried sage and serve immediately.

Notes

** I keep a bag of Parmigiano Reggiano rinds in my freezer. Everytime we run through a block of the cheese, I add the rind to my collection. I recommend you do the same but if you don't have a rind on hand just omit it.