Serves 4
Ingredients
- 500g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into wedges
- 100-150g smoked pancetta, cubed or chopped
- 2 large shallots or a medium onion, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 10-15 sage leaves, chopped
- 150ml white wine
- 350g risotto rice
- 1l vegetable stock
- 50g parmesan
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180 Fan
- Place the pumpkin wedges on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper
- Roast in the oven until golden (roughly 20mins)
- Meanwhile, add the pancetta to a cold, wide based pan and put on a medium heat on the hob
- When the fat has rendered out and the pancetta is crispy, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Keep the fat on the heat.
- Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until soft and turning brown
- Simmer the stock slowly in a saucepan so it’s ready to use
- Add the garlic and saage to the shallots and cook for a minute until fragrant
- Add the rice and stir well so it’s all coated
- Add the wine and cook until it’s mostly gone
- Add the stock one ladle at a time, constantly stirring the rice so it doesn’t stick
- Take the pumpkin out of the oven when it’s done and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash it up and set aside.
- Keep adding the stock and stirring until the rice is cooked with a bit of bite left to it. You can add more stock or water as needed.
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the pumpkin, pancetta and parmesan. Add a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper and taste for salt.
- Serve with extra parmesan on top, and if you’re feeling adventurous, some fried crispy sage.