Squash, Bacon & Sage Risotto

This is such a delicious recipe that I had to share it with you all! The flavours of sage, butternut squash and bacon work so well together and it really is the perfect winter warming dish.

DIFFICULTY: 3/5

Serves 4

• 400g Aborio Rice 
• 6 rashers of Bacon, fat trimmed & cut into small pieces
• 1 small Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of Garlic, pressed
• 3 Sage leaves, finely chopped
• 3 Basil leaves, finely chopped 
• 1 glass of White Wine 
• 500ml Vegetable Stock
• 100g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small knob of Butter 
• Pepper to season 

10minutes to prepare and 30minutes cooking time on the hob.

1. Peel then chop the butternut squash into small cubes and put in a saucepan of boiling water to cook.
2. Cut the fat off the bacon and chop into small squares and add to a frying pan on a low heat with half of the olive oil.
3. Meanwhile, heat the rest of the olive oil in a deep pan/frying pan. Finely chop the onions, sage and garlic. Once the olive oil is heated, add the onions and sage to the pan and keep stirring so they don’t stick. Fry for around 5minutes and add the garlic. 
4. Add the risotto rice and keep stirring for a few minutes until the rice starts to go slightly see-through. Meanwhile add the stock to a saucepan and put on a low heat on the hob.
5. Add the glass of white wine to the rice and stir until fully absorsed and the rice starts to thicken. Add the first ladel of stock and as with the wine, let the rice absorb it and thicken before you add the next ladel. Keep repeating this and you will start to notice the rice really change texture and consistency.
6. The butternut squash and bacon should be cooked by this point, so drain the squash and put the bacon on a plate to rest. Don’t throw the bacon juices and oil away - keep the pan on the heat and add the butternut squash and fry for around 5minutes, tossing the the squash regularly in the pan, until it starts to colour a little. Turn the pan off the heat.
7. Once the risotto rice looks a lot thicker (should take about 20minutes of adding stock and constantly stirring) and is almost cooked (you want a little firmness in the rice but it shouldn’t be chewy), add the squash and bacon and stir everything together. Add another ladel of stock, some black pepper and the knob of butter and stir.
8. Finally, add the parmesan cheese and basil, keeping a little back of both to sprinkle over the top, and take off the heat. Spoon into deep bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and basil.