Butternut squash, speck and truffle risotto.

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Hello folks, yesterday was such a raining day here in Birmingham, so I decide to experiment something new!!
Ingredients for 3 people (I made it just for me and my girlfriend....but if you could see me eating you would understand why I cook ever for 1 more....):
Butternut squash 400 gr
Carnaroli rice 200 gr
1/2 red onion, but I think shallots would be better
Speck (smocked ham) 100 Gr
Truffle Butter(2 tea spoons)
Vegetable Broth 1 L
Parmesan cheese 30 gr (grated)
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

I make risotto using Carnaroli or Vialone nano rice.
They have a substantial and long grain with a high content of starch which keeps the cooking better than other rice, especially during the slow cooking (typical of risotto) thanks to a higher amount of amylose(I'm not that sure this word exists in English....).

Cut the squash into small cubes.
Cut speck into small cubes and cook them for a few minutes in a nonstick pan, without any oil.
Finely chop the shallots/onion.
Heat 2 table spoons of oil in a saucepan and heat very slowly, let soften the shallots until it is transparent (if you use white onion until they become golden and red until they become soft).
Pour the squash in the pan, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for a few minutes on high heat, stirring often.

Add a ladle of broth and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
At this point, add the rice and toast it until it is dry.
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Once the rice is toasted and dry, add a ladle of broth and start to stir.
When the risotto dries up add another ladle of broth keeping stirring and so on until the rice is cooked.

When the risotto is ready add speck, Parmesan and truffle butter and stir until cheese and butter are completely absorbed.

PS.
I would love to had been able to upload more pictures....but they are horrible and it took 15 minutes to upload this one to imgur....
 
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I make risotto using Carnaroli or Vialone nano rice.
As an Italian, do you have specific uses for each type of rice? I was led to believe that one would choose Vialone Nano for use in seafood risottos, but I'm now learning there's not such a hard an fast rule about which variety to use.

They have a substantial and long grain with a high content of starch which keeps the cooking better than other rice, especially during the slow cooking (typical of risotto) thanks to a higher amount of amylose(I'm not that sure this word exists in English....).
Yes, amylose is an English word.

IIRC it's the ratio of amylose to amylopectin which characterises the differences between the three main risotto rice varieties - of the three, Arborio has very little amylose, which is why you tend to get a very thick sauce from it and the texture tends to be mushy when compared to Carnaroli or Vialone Nano, which have more of a balance between the two starch molecules.

Heat 2 table spoons of oil in a saucepan and heat very slowly, let soften the shallots until it is transparent (if you use white onion until they become golden and red until they become soft).
Pour the squash in the pan, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for a few minutes on high heat, stirring often.
Is it typical to use EVOO in dishes like this?

We were always taught to keep EVOO for dressings and garnishes and never to heat it up to high temperatures. What's your take on that?

Add a ladle of broth and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
What broth would you use in a dish like this? Are you one for making your own or do you use a cube/powder/etc?

When the risotto is ready add speck, Parmesan and truffle butter and stir until cheese and butter are completely absorbed.
Truffle butter? Could you explain how that is made or where we might be able to locate some if it comes pre-prepared?
 
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@glitch, sorry for the late reply....i'm having a very busy week...
yes, we (I) use different rice varieties for different uses
Carnaroli which is a crossing between vialone nano and Lencino for risotto (every kind of, it is a vialone nano 2.0 :) so it is suitable for every use)
Vialone nano (risotto with vegetables or venison)
Arborio (sups)
Parboiled and Blasmati for rice salads.

In Italy we use EVOO for cooking, I would not ever have a sauce made with seed oil, sunflower oil etc...
Not only it is more tasty but it is even more healthy because its texture make it burning less easily then other kind of oil.
If I have time I prepare a very simple one with onion, celery, carrot, potato, otherwise I use a veg stock cube or powder.
Truffle butter is a butter with pieces of truffle and truffle aroma inside.
 
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