Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage

Name: Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1 small onion, finely chopped; 200 g/7 oz/1 cup Arborio rice; 50 g/1¾ oz butter; 300 g/10½ oz butternut squash, peeled and diced into 2cm/¾in cubes (see hack); 1.2 litres/40 fl oz/5 cups hot vegetable stock (bouillon); 50 g/1¾ oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra for serving; 1 tbsp olive oil; 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup white wine; about 20 young sage leaves; salt and black pepper; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom

By Prue Leith

Published 2024

About

I grew up with butternut squash and pumpkins basking in the African sun on the compost heap behind the kitchen. So, we ate them a lot. They turned up in soups and stews, roasted, and as a purée. But never in risotto. I had to wait to get to Europe for that. And now I think it’s one of the best ways to eat them.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Main course
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 6-8 minutes, until translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute, to soften.
Add the diced squash and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the Arborio rice.
Pour in the white wine and simmer until it is mostly absorbed (