Roasted Squash & Pecan Risotto With Crispy Sage

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Peel and finely chop your brown onion[s]

Add your butternut squash cubes to a baking tray (or two!) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt

Give everything a good mix up and put the tray[s] in the oven for 15-20 min or until the squash is almost cooked through and beginning to turn golden

Whilst the squash is roasting, boil a kettle

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until softened

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Dissolve your vegetable stock mix in 600ml [900ml] [1.2L] boiled water

Once softened, add your arborio rice to the onion with the chopped garlic and Chinese rice wine and cook for 1 min

Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring continuously, for 25-30 min or until all of the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked

Whilst the rice is cooking, peel some of your Italian hard cheese until you end up with a pile of cheese shavings, then grate the remaining Italian hard cheese

Heat a separate, large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your sage leaves and cook for 1 min or until crispy, then transfer to kitchen paper and set aside

Once the squash has had 15 min, add your pecans to the tray[s] and return the tray[s] to the oven for 5 min further or until toasted

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Once done, remove the roasted squash cubes and mash most of them up with a fork (save some for garnish!) to form a purée – this is your squash purée

Once the rice is almost cooked, stir the squash purée and soft cheese through the risotto

Add the grated Italian hard cheese with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a further 2-3 min or until the cheese has melted and the rice is cooked – this is your butternut squash risotto