Garlic roasted butternut squash risotto

The solution to the age-old problem of providing our children with enough fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet is more often than not a case of experimenting.  My youngest won't touch broccoli or green beans, but will happily chomp away at a corn on the cob smothered in butter.  

He also loves butternut squash, which is a great vegetable to introduce if you're struggling a bit with the five a day - it has a beautiful smooth texture and lovely sweet taste and this easy recipe is great fun to make - enlist a willing helper to do the stirring!

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

2 or three whole cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

A few sage leaves (if using)

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

350g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli) 

2 litres chicken stock (cube is fine)

Parmesan, grated

Method

Garlic roasted butternut squash makes a really lovely accompaniment to a roast dinner, or is delicious stirred into a creamy risotto.  For the garlic roasted squash, preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas 6.  Peel the squash with a potato peeler, deseed with a spoon, and cut into chunks (you'll have to do this bit, it's quite tough to chop).  Spread the pieces out on a baking tray and throw on the whole garlic cloves (no need to peel them), drizzle with a little olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over about half of the finely chopped sage leaves.

Roast for about 30 minutes, until the squash is soft and slightly caramelised.  Serve just as it is (the garlic is deliciously soft), or, while it's roasting, carry on and make the risotto:

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy based pan and add about 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add in the onion and gently fry until softened, then pop in the rice, stirring around until it's nicely glossy.

Now just keep adding ladlefuls of the stock, one at a time, stirring constantly and making sure that all the liquid is absorbed before adding another.  It's the starch in the rice that makes risotto creamy, so the more enthusiastic the stirrer, the more creamy the result!

When all the stock has gone and the risotto just retains a slight bit of 'bite', stir in the cooked squash and the rest of the sage.  Add in a final knob of butter and a good grating of parmesan, then just cover until you're ready to serve.  Add another grating of parmesan at the table.

Once you've got the basics of risotto, you can experiment - add bacon or strips of leftover chicken, and maybe some different veg too.  It's a great dish to have in your repertoire!

Photo: Englishmum.com