The great thing about winter squash is their hard shells allow them to be kept for as long as a month or two before they spoil. As a result, my farm distribution has left my kitchen piled high with butternut, acorn, long neck and spaghetti squash and I decided yesterday it was time to start cooking them up.

Acorn Squash Bread
I baked two of the acorn squash then pureed the flesh to use in a quick bread recipe that I made up based on my zucchini bread recipe (a reduced sugar recipe using Splenda). I added dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts for some interest and it's delicious. Let me know if you want the recipe (you could substitute any pureed squash for the acorn squash and could even use canned pumpkin).

Butternut Squash Risotta with Sausage
I chopped half a red onion and sauteed it briefly in extra virgin olive oil before adding the rice to toast. Next I deglazed the pan with prosecco (it's what was in my glass!) and then began adding chicken stock a little at a time, stirring until it became creamy and all the stock was absorbed. I had diced the butternut squash and microwaved it until just barely tender, then added it to the risotto near the end of cooking to let it soften just a bit more and flavor the rice. I finished the dish with a handful of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Italian Sausage
I had received some mild Italian sausage from Sun Prairie Beef in the fall and served this sliced with the risotto. I just browned the entire two foot link of sausage in a skillet, then added a little water, covered the dish, and let it simmer to render out some of the fat and finish cooking the meat.