Butternut Squash Risotto

I love making risotto... but I always do the exact same ones – Jamie Oliver mushroom risotto or Juliana Morris roasted red pepper, basil and goat’s cheese risotto. So today I thought I would make up a new recipe using the butternut squash we had in the cupboard.

As pumpkin and sage seemed to taste so good together when I made pumpkin lasagne the other week, I thought I would give a squash and sage risotto a go. Due to lack of ingredients I was unable to use a lot of the stuff I would normally put in a risotto such as chopped celery (excellent for flavour) and parmesan cheese (gives the ‘sauce’ a really smooth consistency and is really tasty) so I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.

I started by spraying the squash with cooking spray and roasting with the skin still intact for a few hours while we tidied the house and popped out, but I would recommend peeling the squash first as getting the skin off once it was roasted was quite a nightmare. The risotto was looking really colourful and appetising right up to the point where I added ricotta cheese and it completely lost its lovely orange tinge which was a real shame.

Perhaps next time I could get away with using TWO squashes without spoiling the yummy cheesy flavour. Anyway, apart from looking somewhat like porridge on a plate, the risotto was a success, especially when served alongside a lovely crispy salad with balsamic dressing.

Recipe (serves 4):
1 (or two??) butternut squash
1 onion
3 sage leaves
Half a small bag of Arborio rice
One and a half litres of veggie stock
A tub of ricotta
160g cheese (preferably parmesan but I used low fat cheddar!)
Salt and pepper
Parsley

Roast the butternut squash at 150 degrees C for several hours until soft. Mash it all up. Fry the onion with the sage leaves. Add the rice and fry with the onions for a few minutes. Add the mashed butternut squash to the mix, season and cook fry for around 5 minutes.

Gradually add the stock until the rice is soft. Add the ricotta and mix. Grate the cheese, add to the pan and mix well. Cook for a further minute. Take off the heat and leave for a good five minutes – longer if you aren’t an impatient greedy pig like me. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.