Butternut Squash Risotto
This recipe is inspired pretty heavily by Josh Weissman's book, Texture over Taste. Blending roasted butternut squash with chicken stock is a game-changer, and I really encourage you to save enough to make arancini the next day.
Ingredients:
275 grams arborio rice
1 small butternut squash
1 onion, finely diced
10 grams flat-leaf parsley
1 fresh red chilli
3 large cloves garlic, grated
4 rashers streaky bacon or pancetta (optional)
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
30 grams cold butter
Method:
Preheat your oven as high as it will go (mine is 230°C fan-assisted). Line a baking sheeet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
Halve the butternut squash lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Spray the flesh with cooking spray and roast for 40 minutes, until mushy.
Remove the squash from the oven and blend the flesh (scoop it out first, you degenerate) with 120ml of the stock.
In a large saucepan (or wok), render the bacon or pancetta's fat over a low heat until very crispy. If omitting the bacon, substitute with vegetable oil.
Scoop out the bacon (if using) with a slotted spoon and remove to a paper towel.
Use the rendered fat (or add vegetable oil) to cook the onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt while cooking to break down the onion faster.
In a separate saucepan, heat the stock over a really low flame - just enough to keep it warm.
Add the arborio rice to the onion and stir to coat each grain in oil and onion-y goodness.
Now, perform risotto. This is criminally boring, but it truly is worth it. Pour or ladle in a glug of warm stock, stir to combine, and then allow the rice to absorb the liquid. When the pan is dry, add more stock.
This will take about 30 minutes, and you should use most if not all of the stock.
Take this slowly, you don't want to rush this.
When the rice is cooked al dente (eat some to check the texture), add the puréed butternut squash and stir until warmed through.
Add the cold butter and stir until glossy and combined.
Serve as hot as possible, and finely grate some parmesan over the top. Sprinkle some black pepper and finish with the bacon/pancetta if using.
