Butternut Squash Risotto

Mmmm, butternut squash risotto! I've been making this for years, adapted from a recipe I saw in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue.

Start with butternut squash of course. I cooked the squash a few days ago, quartering a whole squash and steaming it. Then I scooped out the flesh and saved it in a bowl. You also need some sort of onion--I'm using shallots here (I've read that it's the Rolls-Royce of the onion family), but I've always happily used plain yellow onions. Risotto rice, olive oil, white wine, sage and thyme, vegetable broth, parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper.
Take the cooked squash flesh and blitz in a processor until smooth. You can easily dispense with this step or just mash with a fork.
You get this nice smooth puree.
Take the vegetable stock (reconstituted if necessary) and mix in the squash puree.
You get this beautiful, thick stock. Set it on the stove to warm. Bring it just barely under a simmer.
Chop the onion very finely. You can also do this in a processor. What you don't want is big chunks destroying the smoothness of the risotto.
Melt some butter and olive oil in a large saucepan.
Cook the onions gently until they're soft. Then add the sage and thyme.
Next add the risotto rice and stir in the buttery onions for a few minutes. The rice will turn translucent on the edges.
Add about half a cup of white wine and stir into the rice until it's absorbed.
Now add the hot stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring into the rice until absorbed each time. It should take the risotto half an hour to cook, so set your timer now. Keep adding stock and stirring... for about half an hour!
About halfway through--the rice will still be pretty hard.
After half an hour the rice will still have a bit of bite, but the sauce will be creamy and thick.
When the rice is cooked, add a ton of parmesan cheese, a few more tablespoons of butter and a little bit more liquid.
It's done! Sprinkle with parmesan on top.
Yum!