Now I don’t like to brag, but this is an actual life changing recipe. How many of you have stood at the stove, stirring a risotto for what has felt like an eternity? Boring. I have and because of the eternal stirring and stock adding I’ve stopped making risotto because, well, who has the time? Then I found this recipe in the Waitrose magazine and my life changed FOREVER! Okay not quite, but still it was a pretty exciting time. Who knew you could bake a risotto. Amazing.

Oven baked Risotto
Feeds: two adults

Ingredients

• 450g Butternut Squash cut into small cubes
• 1.5 Tablespoons Oil (I use coconut but hey, whatever)
• 3 Garlic cloves, left unpeeled
• Half an Onion (red or white) chopped up
• 5g Unsalted butter
• 100g Risotto Rice
• 75ml White Wine or use extra stock
• 250ml Vegetable Stock (or chicken)
• 15g Grated Parmesan cheese, plus a load more to serve
• 200g Mixed or Wild Mushrooms, cleaned and torn in to pieces, or Chestnut Mushrooms work just as well
• 3/4 Sage leaves

1. Preheat your oven to 200 C/GM 6/180 Fan. Cover the squash with the half of the oil and spread on a large baking tray (or large oven dish) Season and roast for 15 minutes. Then add the whole garlic cloves to the tray, mix together and bake for another 15 minutes or so, until the squash is tender.
2. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 the butter and the rest of the oil in a casserole dish over a low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir/cook for another minute until the rice starts to go translucent.
3. Turn the heat up and add the wine (or extra stock if using) and let that bubble away. Add the stock, give everything a good mix then put the uncovered dish in the oven.
4. Check every so often and as soon as the dish starts to look dry, mix a touch more stock. Cook for 30/35 minutes, do a taste test and the rice should have some bite to it but should have softened down.
5. Remove from oven, stir in the cheese and let sit while you cook the mushrooms.
6. In a large frying pan heat the butter. Once sizzling add the mushrooms and cook until they start to release their liquid. Once the liquid has evaporated, add the sage and cook for another minute.
7. Remove from heat and stir the mushrooms into the risotto rice. Add the squash, mashing half of the cubes with a fork and keeping the other bits whole. Give everything a final mix, dish up and finish with extra cheese.

I like to mash in the roasted garlic to this dish as well, amazing. I promise you will love this.