Bacon & Butternut Squash Risotto

Meanwhile, halve, peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all).
Halve the red chilli lengthways, deseed and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press).
Chop the bacon rashers widthways into 1cm wide strips. TIP: Use scissors to cut the bacon. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat.

To make your risotto stock, pour the water for the risotto (see ingredients for amount) into a medium saucepan on high heat. Add the veg stock paste and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep it warm.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in another large saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon and stir-fry for 1-2 mins.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and the bacon is browned, 4-5 mins. IMPORTANT: Cook bacon thoroughly.

Add the chilli and the garlic to the onions and bacon. Cook for 1 min, then add the risotto rice.
Stir and cook until the edges of the rice are translucent, 1-2 mins. Stir in a ladle of your stock.
When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, stir in another ladle. Keep the pan on medium heat and continue stirring in stock, letting it absorb each time. The cooking time should take 20-25 mins and your risotto is done when your rice is ‘al dente’ - cooked through but with a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.

Once the risotto is ready, remove from the heat.
Stir in the cooked butternut squash, grated hard Italian style cheese, three quarters of the parsley and a knob of butter (if you have any).
Season to taste with salt and pepper.