last of summer and a recipe

Temperatures make it a little hard to tell, but summer is wrapping up in Austin. We picked up what I am sure is going to be our last watermelon of the year with our tuber-heavy CSA stash. In the kitchen, I am closing out the summer with one last batch of my summer squash risotto.

I originally came across this risotto cooking method in The Bon Apetit Fast Easy Fresh cookbook. I’ve been making risotto this way for so long now that I can’t even remember how I used to make it. There is very little stirring (just enough to keep it from sticking) and it comes together so quickly that it is a no-brainer, go-to when I get home from the market on Saturday with a bundle of summer squash.  Great for a when you want to add a little more substance to a salad dinner on a weeknight, too.

Summer Squash Risotto

1 yellow summer squash or medium zucchini, grated
½ yellow onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
¾ cup arborio rice
3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan (optional)

1. Melt butter or warm olive oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add diced onion and grated squash. Cook for a few minutes until onion and zucchini start to soften.
3. Add arborio rice, stir until grains are well coated, and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Add broth and bring to a boil (note: I like to use leek broth if I have it on hand, but any vegetable broth or water works).
5. Season with salt.
6. Lower heat to medium low and stir risotto occasionally to keep from sticking to bottom of pot.
7. Cook until liquid has reduced and rice is nice and creamy. About 15-20 minutes depending on temp of your stove.
8. Top individual servings with freshly grated parmesan and pepper if you’d like.

You can substitute butter for the olive oil and replace a ½ cup liquid with heavy cream if you’d like, but I find that the grated summer squash turns almost buttery (think zucchini butter) adding a creaminess without having to pile on any dairy.