Roasted Squash & Pecan Risotto With Crispy Sage
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

  2. Peel and finely chop your brown onion[s]

  3. Add your butternut squash cubes to a baking tray (or two!) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt. Give everything a good mix up and put the tray[s] in the oven for 15-20 min or until the squash is almost cooked through and beginning to turn golden.

  4. Whilst the squash is roasting, boil a kettle. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until softened.

  5. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic. Dissolve your vegetable stock mix in 600ml [900ml] [1.2L] boiled water. Once softened, add your arborio rice to the onion with the chopped garlic and Chinese rice wine and cook for 1 min. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring continuously, for 25-30 min or until all of the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

  6. Whilst the rice is cooking, peel some of your Italian hard cheese until you end up with a pile of cheese shavings, then grate the remaining Italian hard cheese. Heat a separate, large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add your sage and cook for 1 min or until crispy, then transfer to kitchen paper and set aside.

  7. Once the squash has had 15 min, add your pecans to the tray[s] and return the tray[s] to the oven for 5 min further or until toasted. Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don’t burn! Once done, remove the roasted squash cubes and mash most of them up with a fork (save some for garnish!) to form a purée – this is your squash purée.

  8. Once the rice is almost cooked, stir the squash purée and soft cheese through the risotto. Add the grated Italian hard cheese with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a further 2-3 min or until the cheese has melted and the rice is cooked – this is your butternut squash risotto.

  9. Serve the butternut squash risotto topped with the cheese shavings, reserved roasted butternut squash, crispy sage and toasted pecans. Season with a good grind of black pepper. Enjoy!

Course🍽️Main Course

Diets🥕Vegetarian...

Category🍚Risotto

Cuisine🇮🇹Italian

Occasions🍲Comfort Food📆Everyday

Season🍂Fall

DifficultyMedium ⏰ 45m

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