Citrus Ginger Kamut Risotto

Last week, my mom and I went to Irving Berlin’s White Christmas put on by a local theatre group. I’ve always loved old movies and enjoy any movie with Bing Crosby in it (Holiday Inn with Fred Astaire is another good one) so White Christmas is one that I usually watch every year. The female leads in the musical were excellent and we had a great time.

Before going to the show, we went to a small wine/tapas bar downtown called Sontes. Even though they don’t have any vegan entrées on the menu, they’ll gladly alter something to make it so. Last time I was there I had a pizza that the chef put roasted veggies on it and left off the cheese. It was on a cracker crust that was delicious! This time, however, I decided to try the citrus ginger squash. It was topped with a farro risotto that was delicious so I had to try to emulate it; especially since I can make it for a whole lot cheaper than what we spent there!

The following recipe doesn’t necessarily taste like what I had at Sontes but is delicious in its own right. I served it over roasted pumpkin and buttercup/turban squash and would definitely recommend the squash over the pumpkin because it had a softer texture that complemented the flavors nicely.

Citrus Ginger Kamut Risotto with Roasted Winter Squash
[Serves 4 as a side dish]

Tip: Start cooking the kamut first as it takes the longest (it can be done ahead of time) and then start the squash and risotto.

For the Squash:

• 2 medium squash (or small pumpkins)
• 2 teaspoons oil
• kosher salt
• ground ginger

– Preheat oven to 400º F.
– Slice the squash and remove the seeds
– Brush with oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and ginger and roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping at least twice.

For the Risotto:

• 1 cup raw kamut berries (or spelt/wheat berries or brown rice), soaked overnight and rinsed
• 3 cups Not-Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 ½ tsp. oil
•  ¾ cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped apple
• ½ grapefruit, juiced (about 6 tablespoons)
• ½ orange, juiced (4 tablespoons)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tsp. each, orange and grapefruit zest
• 2 tsp. grated ginger
• 2 tsp. minced ginger
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• Salt

– Bring the kamut berries and broth to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for about 45 minutes (the broth will not all soak in). Strain and reserve the broth.
– In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions. Saute until translucent and then add all of the remaining ingredients except the apple (and kamut).
– Continue to saute for about 5 minutes and then add the kamut and ¼ cup of the reserved broth.
– Cook until the liquid reduces, about 10-15 minutes.
– Add the chopped apple and cook until heated, but still crisp.

– Salt to taste and serve on top of the roasted squash.

What is your favorite old movie?
Elysia thinks anything in the 1990’s is old but that doesn’t count!