Risotto is the ultimate comfort food. This one has got creaminess from the risotto rice androasted butternut squash and just enough heat form the chillies. This bowl of goodness is best eaten cosied up on the coauch but don’t forget the all-important final squeeze of lemon!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Butternut Squash
1
Onion
1
Flat Leaf Parsley
½
Red Chilli
1
Garlic Clove
4
Streaky Bacon Rasher
40
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
30
Unsalted Butter
(Contains Milk)
175
Risotto Rice
½
Lemon
750
Water
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds (no need to peel, there are lots of nutrients in the skin). Cut it widthways into slices about 1cm thick and then into cubes. Put the squash on a baking tray and drizzle over some oil and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Pop on the top shelf of your oven for 25-30 mins, turning halfway. Remove when done and set aside.
Halve, peel and chop the onion into ½cm pieces. Roughly chop the parsley. Cut the red chilli in half lengthways, remove the seeds and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Cut the bacon into 1cm wide strips (use scissors for this if you want, it's much easier!). Grate the parmesan.
Put a large saucepan of water (amount specified in the ingredient list) on to boil over high heat with the vegetable stock pot and stir to dissolve. Put half the butter in another large pan on medium heat along with a drizzle of oil. Add the onion and bacon. Cook for 5 mins until the onion is soft and the bacon browned. Add the garlic and the chilli (only add a bit if you don't like things too spicy!). Cook for 1 minute more.
Add the rice along with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Stir to ensure the rice is coated in butter and oil. Cook for 1-2 mins. Add a ladleful of the stock and stir. Once the rice has absorbed the stock, add another ladleful and continue to stir. Carry on adding stock and stirring regularly, until all the stock has been absorbed by the rice. This should take 20-25 mins.
The risotto is ready when your rice is ‘al dente’. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the rice is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle. Once ready, remove from the heat and add the squash along with three-quarters of the parmesan, the remaining butter and three-quarters of the parsley. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, taste and add more lemon juice, salt and black pepper if necessary.
Serve your risotto in bowls with the rest of your parsley and parmesan sprinkled over the top. Enjoy!