It’s neither actually, just a comforting lunch time concoction. I’ve said it before, so I will say it again– My name is Adrienne Handler, and I am a culinary cheat. Call this the cheater’s risotto if you will, I will call it “proudly using up some leftovers.”

Early in the week I made butternut squash puree by roasting a whole squash for one hour, discarding the seeds, scooping out the flesh, and making a sumptuous puree with chopped fresh sage. I ate the puree as a vegetable side dish during one meal, but as usual was left with quite a bit leftover. You know the saying, “Waste not, want not.” Well I never truly agreed with the aphorism, but for the sake of of this “risotto,” I would find myself swearing by it. Like any good bourgie knows, if you enjoy an ingredient prepared one way, chances are you will enjoy it prepared another. And since it is fall, I say, “Bring on the squash!” in all of its many forms.

The rice dish was made by cooking a cupful of brown rice. Nutty, and chewy, the rice was the perfect foil the smooth, richness of the butternut squash puree. Blend the two main ingredients together and you have a hearty, belly-warming concoction, that looks a bit like risotto, but has the crunch and chewiness of the brown rice, and will make you think that you were back on the commune.

Finally, the “risotto” is mixed with a few tablespoons of butter, (we can’t be healthy all of the time) and topped with crisp fried sage leaves. It seems that I have been on a bit of a frying kick lately. Simply drop sage leaves into a bit of hot oil and fry until leaves are a golden brown. The sage will become crispy, and release their essential oils, making the entire kitchen smell woodsy and herbaceous. Of course the fried sage leaves are optional, but really, what better way to spend an afternoon, then over a ginormous vat of hot oil?