Autumn can be a tricky one when it comes to food. It's not yet cold enough for deep and rich winter dishes, and the season for fresh summer produce is drawing to a close. But, autumn is the season of squashes and floral flavours, and this Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto is a homage to everything great about the seasons changing, and twists a classic Italian pangrattato using gorgeous Italian sausage.
Method
Firstly, let's get half of the butternut squash in the oven. Cut one half into half again, and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in the oven at 200°c for 20mins. Once cooked and soft, peel and blend in a food processor to make a purée.In a large frying pan, add your sausage with some olive oil. whilst cooking, break up the sausage into crumb like pieces, and render until crispy and golden. In the same pan, add your breadcrumbs and toast until golden and crispy. Remove all from the pan.Add some more olive oil and fry your sage leaves for a minute on each side, until crispy, and remove.Now, add your diced butternut squash, and sauté until soft with some salt, then add your chilli flakes and chopped sage. Cook for a minute and remove from the pan.We're now going to start building our risotto! Add a little more olive oil to the pan, and on a medium-low heat, add your shallot, cooking until soft, translucent and almost melting. Add some of the wine and cook down until dry again.Once the shallots are dry, add your washed risotto rice, and fry for a couple mins until slightly golden. Deglaze with the rest of the wine, and again, once dried, we can start slowly adding our stock!Add the stock, a ladle at a time, only adding more once the stock has been absorbed.Once the rice is almost cooked through, add your butternut squash purée, and mix well. Taste for salt and pepper and we're ready to plate!Start by spooning your risotto onto your favourite plate, garnish with a few of those diced butternut squash pieces, followed by your fried sage leaves, and finish with a generous sprinkle of your sausage and breadcrumb mix. Add a little extra virgin olive oil because it's fancy, and its time to dig in!
