Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto

Ingredients

1 kg butternut squash,
peeled and cut into bitesize
chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
Bunch of sage, leaves
picked, half roughly
chopped and half left whole
1½ litres of vegetable stock
50 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
300 g risotto rice
1 small glass of white wine
50 g parmesan or
vegetarian alternative,
finely grated

 

Method

1. Before you make the risotto, heat oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Toss the squash in 1 tablespoon of oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes until it is brown and soft.

 

2. While the squash is roasting, prepare the risotto. Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and sweat gently for 8-10 minutes until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.

 

3. Pour in the wine and simmer until totally evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy. When you draw a wooden spoon through it, there should be a wake that holds for a few moments but not longer.

 

4. At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, and then set aside on kitchen paper. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir though the purée, then add the cheese and butter and leave to rest for a few minutes.

 

5. Serve the risotto scattered with whole chunks of squash and crisp sage leaves.