Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto
Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto is a dish that embodies the essence of autumn with its rich, creamy texture and warm, earthy flavors. The key ingredients for this comforting meal include butternut squash, which imparts a sweet and slightly nutty taste, and sage, known for its fragrant and slightly peppery flavor that complements the squash beautifully.To create this risotto, one begins by roasting cubes of butternut squash until they are browned and soft, enhancing their natural sweetness. In a separate pan, onions are gently cooked until soft but not colored, and then Arborio rice is stirred in until it's well-coated with butter, becoming shiny and the edges of the grains start to look transparent. A splash of white wine is added and simmered until evaporated, followed by the gradual addition of hot stock, ladle by ladle, while stirring the rice over low heat. This process, which takes about 25-30 minutes, allows the rice to cook to an al dente texture while becoming creamy and slightly soupy.
Equipment
- 1 oven
Ingredients
- 1 large Butternut Squash
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled & chopped finely
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- Handful of Sage Leaves chopped
- 2 tsp Mixed Herbs
- Salt & Black Pepper to season
- 3 Knobs of butter
- 2 Medium Onions
- 400 g Arborio risotto Rice
- 300 ml White Grape Juice or White Wine
- 1 Litre Hot Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- Handful Cheddar Cheese grated
Instructions
- Cut, de-seed and peel the Butternut squash and chop into roughly 1 inch chucks.
- Place them in a roasting tray and add a drizzle of olive oil, chopped garlic, mixed herbs and salt & pepper to season.
- Roast the butternut squash for approximately 40 minutes until it’s golden and soft. I transferred it into another dish to cool down and saved the garlic infused oil to use when cooking another dish in the future.
- Leaving a handful of roasted chunks aside for garnishing, mash the butternut squash with a fork, which is easily done because it is so soft, but keep the texture a little chunky.
- In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and the butter. Fry the onions until soft and add the rice and mix for a minute to get it fully coated. Add the white grape juice (or wine) and stir until it is cooked into the rice.
- Add a ladle of hot stock and keep stirring. Add in the chopped sage leaves and season well with salt and pepper.
- Keep adding ladles of stock until the rice is thick and creamy and keep stirring around the pan. This should be done for around 20 minutes. This process seems long, but really adds to the texture. If it starts getting too loose or dry, add more stock.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the mashed butternut squash and the grated cheese and mix it into the risotto.
- Cover the risotto with a lid to intensify the flavours.
- Serve with the reserved chunks of roasted butternut squash from before, warmed up, and enjoy the immense flavours.