Wholesome butternut and chorizo risotto

If there’s one dish that has the ability to make you feel like an accomplished cook and a homebody all at once, it’s risotto. The Italians have thankfully shared a food culture with the world that is as simple to throw together as it is delicious to eat. Roasted butternut on a bed of fluffy risotto – this is a good, wholesome pot to bring to a hungry table.

Ingredients

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 50 minutes | Serves 4

1 small butternut cut lengthways, leave the seeds and skin on
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Chorizo sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
400g risotto rice
500ml white wine
1.5L chicken stock
100g Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter
1 handful watercress
1 handful pumpkin seeds

Method:

1. Roast the butternut in the oven at 180ºC with a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. It should take approximately 30-50 minutes (keep an eye on it, and take it out once it’s browned and soft).

2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, fry the chorizo in a little olive oil. When browned, remove the chorizo and set aside.
3. Next fry the onion, celery and garlic in the pot until soft. Add the risotto rice and fry for a few minutes until the rice is coated in oil and starts to pop a little bit.The trick to a good risotto is using proper risotto rice as its high starch content makes for a comfortingly creamy dish.
4. Add the white wine and reduce the temperature to medium, and let the wine cook off and reduce. Once it has all soaked in, add the stock, ladle by ladle, until the rice is cooked. stirring often between ladles. The rice should be soft but have a little bite and texture — this should take about 40 minutes.
5. Finally, add a knob of butter to the top of the cooked risotto, turn off the heat and pop on the lid for a few minutes. Once the butter has melted, stir through and add your Parmesan, the cooked chorizo and your roasted butternut.
6. Garnish with watercress and pumpkin seeds before serving.

Risotto tastes best when gobbled up straight from the pot as it’s not the biggest fan of being reheated. So make sure you crack open a good bottle of vino and just let it be one of those dinners where easy conversations and seconds are par for the course. Enjoy.

Thanks to our Food Buyer, Rina Marie Van Velden, for sharing this recipe with us