Butternut Squash Risotto

Serves about 4
Time to cook: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
4 tbs olive oil
5 cups vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
3 tbs butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 1/3 cup risotto rice (I used Arborio)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Peel the squash and seperate the bulbous seed-bearing section from the slender end. Chop the slender end into 2cm cubes, toss in half the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on the outside and soft in the centre, about 30 mins. Cut the bulb in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Chop the flesh into 2cm pieces. Warm the stock in a medium pan,set over a low heat. Drop in squash and leave to gently poach.
2. While the squash is roasting, warm a large-size pan (or dutch-oven) over a gentle heat. Add the remaining olive oil and half the butter, followed by the onion. Cover and cook for 3 mins until the onion turns translucent. Stir in the celery, garlic, herbs and a few turns of pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover again and cook for a further 2 min. Increase the heat slightly and stir in the rice. Stir, uncovered, for about 5 mins - this will help to develop the toasty aroma of the rice without burning the veg.
3. Turn up the heat, stir in the wine and let it bubble away to almost nothing. Reduce the heat and start adding the stock. Add one ladle at a time, stirring gently every minute and at each addition of stock. The idea is to encourage the rice to absorb the liquid and soften, but also give its starch to thicken the remaining broth. Don't stir too aggressively or you will end up with a pan of mush. When the stock has been absorbed, it's time to add the next ladleful and so on. It will take about 15 mins to reach the final ladle of stock. By this time the squash in the stock should have softened.Mash it up with the remaining stock and stir into the risotto.
4. Turn off the heat, dot the top of the risotto with remaining butter and most of the Parmesan, cover, leave to rest for 2 mins, then stir through and check the seasoning. Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and sprinkle the roasted squash and leftover Parmesan on top. 

*original recipe served 2, I increased rice and stock (as shown in ingredient list above) to serve 4. 

~Recipe via Good Food magazine, October 2009