baked risotto with roasted butternut squash, leeks, peas, porcini mushrooms, and crispy sage

Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C/Gas Mark 6.

Put the butternut squash into a roasting tin with the garlic cloves. Add the rapeseed oil, sprinkle with dried oregano and season with salt and pepper and mix well. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.

Put the porcini mushrooms in water and set aside.

Put the frozen peas in a bowl and set aside to defrost at room temperature.

In a casserole dish, add 25g of butter. Once melted, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly – you don’t want to colour the onions, just soften them gently.

Drain the porcini mushrooms and roughly chop, although you can leave whole if you prefer.

When the onions are cooked, add the rice, stir well, and cook until translucent. Add a small ladle of vegetable stock and stir until absorbed. Then add the rest of the stock and the mushrooms, stir well and then cover.

Reduce the oven to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4 and put the covered casserole dish in the oven. Check the butternut squash and stir, before returning to the oven. Cook for five minutes.

Layer the leeks in a separate roasting tin, season and add a splash of rapeseed oil. Put into the oven and cook for 13 minutes until just done. Check the squash during this time, but leave the risotto untouched.

Put the rest of the butter in a frying pan and cook over a medium-to-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the sage leaves, a few at a time, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove and put on a sheet of kitchen roll to absorb any excess butter.

When the vegetables are cooked, spoon the baked risotto into a bowl, sprinkle over the peas, leeks, and roasted squash. Season with pepper, top with the crispy
sage leaves, and sprinkle over Parmigiano Reggiano.