Recipes serve four.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
1 butternut squash, weighing about 500g
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 litre vegetable, chicken or turkey stock
300g Arborio rice
4 tbsp Parmesan
Preheat the oven to gas six/200 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, peel and cut into three centimetre chunks. Drizzle four tablespoons of olive oil over it and toss so the squash is well coated, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until soft.
Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan and sautée the onion, without colouring, for 15-20 minutes. In a separate saucepan, heat the stock until it is boiling, lower the heat and allow it to simmer gently. Add the rice to the onions and coat in the oil for five minutes - this stage is very important. Add a ladle of stock and stir it into the rice. Add a second ladle of stock, and stir again to make sure none of the rice is sticking. Five minutes after adding the first ladle of stock, add the butternut squash, stir it into the rice and continue cooking.
Allow the rice to cook over a moderate heat and add a ladle of stock each time it dries out, but before the rice catches on the bottom. Both the toasting of the rice in the oil and the stirring help to break down the starch in the rice, this is what gives risotto its creaminess. The risotto takes about 15-20 minutes to cook, from when you add the stock. If you run out of stock, use boiling water. Just before the risotto is cooked, add half the cheese. Serve the remaining cheese alongside, to sprinkle on top of the rice.
WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
50g dried porcini mushrooms
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
1.25 litre chicken or vegetable stock
300g Arborio rice
50g butter
half-glass vermouth
Parmesan
Put the mushrooms in a bowl of hot water and set them aside to rehydrate.
Soften the onion in three tablespoons of olive oil over a gentle heat, cooking gently for at least 15 to 20 minutes. The onions need to release their juices and taste sweet. Heat the stock in a separate saucepan until it is boiling, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer. Stir the rice into the onions and coat it in the oil. Continuing to cook over a moderate heat for five minutes without allowing it to colour.
Remove the mushrooms from the soaking water, and pour the liquid into the simmering stock, taking care to leave the grit behind. Add two ladlefuls of stock to the rice, stirring all the time so none of the rice sticks to the bottom, then lower the heat and continue to cook, adding a few ladlefuls of stock each time the rice almost dries out. Cook until the rice is cooked. If you run out of stock, use boiling water.
About five minutes before the end of the 15-20 minute cooking time, stir in the mushrooms. When the rice is cooked - remember it goes on cooking while it is sitting in the pan - stir in the butter, vermouth and a tablespoon of grated Parmesan. Serve with a bowl of grated Parmesan.