This was my first foray into the world of risottos and this one in particular sounded both relatively straightforward and interesting. I liked the sound of the combination of flavours with this. I would say now that if you don't want to use the butternut squash to think about portion sizes as the squash really bulks this up. This served two of us, greedily, for an evening meal, and gave us leftovers for another lot. At the end of the recipe I'll give some information on how to revive a leftover risotto.
This is adapted from an Ina Garten risotto recipe which can be found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/butternut-squash-risotto-recipe/index.html
Ingredients (serves 4):
1/1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 cups of chicken stock - 4 cups stock and 2 cups water is fine as well
1 tablespoon butter
6 slices pancetta, sliced into small pieces
1/2 cup minced shallots (optional as far as I'm concerned. I'm made it with and without and can't taste too much of a difference)
1 1/2 cups carnaroli rice
1/2 white wine
A couple of saffron threads (the original recipe says to use a teaspoon but I found even this small amount to be too much. It's strong stuff)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
On a baking tray, spread out the butternut squash pieces, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, smoosh around a bit and put in a preheated oven at 200 degrees centigrade. Bake for about 35 minutes or until cooked through and slightly browned on the outside.
Put the chicken stock in a pan and put on a medium heat until warmed through.
Heat a large pan on a medium heat and melt the butter. Add the pancetta and diced shallots (if using) and fry until the pancetta fat crisps slightly and the shallots are translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice grains in the fat. Add the wine and cook for about two minutes. Add two ladles of stock and the saffron, salt and pepper to taste. Stir continuously until the stock is absorbed into the rice. This will take some time so don't worry if it doesn't seem to be absorbing at first. When the rice has absorbed the liquid add another ladle of stock and repeat the process. Keep doing this until all the stock has been used and the rice is cooked through and tender. The risotto should have a creamy texture when cooked. This process may take between 30-40 minutes. Take the risotto off the heat and add the cubed butternut squash and the parmesan, reserving a little parmesan for people to add at the table if they wish.
