A warm and comforting seasonal recipe celebrating squash, butternut in this case. This risotto is baked in the oven, meaning you don’t have to spend your entire time at the stove! Served with brown butter and crispy sage, with the option to add pancetta for some added salty goodness.
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Bring the vegetable stock to the boil on the stove and allow to gently simmer.
Place the peeled and diced butternut squash in a roasting tin with the olive oil, salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised.
In a shallow, oven-proof casserole pan, melt 1/3rd of the butter on a medium heat. Add the diced onion along with a pinch of salt to help it sweat. Fry for 3 minutes until softened, then add the chopped garlic and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the rice, coating it in the butter for a few minutes until the grains turn slightly translucent. Now pour in the ** white wine** (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes until all the wine has been absorbed. Add the hot stock and bring to a simmer. Transfer the pan to the oven (to join the roasting squash) and bake, uncovered for 15-18 minutes.
While the rice is baking, melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Cook until it foams and smells slightly nutty. Add the pancetta (if using) and fry until golden. Stir in the sage leaves and let them fry in the butter for 2 minutes until crispy.
Remove the squash from the oven and use a fork to roughly mash it, this will add a lovely texture to the risotto. Once baked, the rice should be soft and there will be a bit of remaining stock on the surface. Stir the mashed squash through the rice along with the parmesan and give everything a good stir. Serve with the brown sage butter (and pancetta) on top.