Butternut Squash Risotto with Smoked Bacon & Crispy Fried Sage
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This hearty risotto combines some of my favourite fall flavours.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Ingredients
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • Olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • ½ onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 4 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 rashers high-quality smoked bacon (omit for vegetarian)
  • ½ small bunch sage, leaves picked
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil cubed squash and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and mash. Don't worry about getting the mash completely smooth, some chunks of squash add texture. If you prefer a smooth risotto, you can boil or steam the cubes of squash and mash them like you would potatoes (don't add milk or butter, though).
  2. Melt butter in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned. Add rice and stir. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 2-2 minutes, until the rice is glossy but not browned.
  3. Add a ladle of stock to the rice mixture and stir. The trick to a creamy risotto is to add already warm stock 1 ladle at a time so the rice cooks evenly. Continue to add ladle after ladle of stock, letting the previous spoonful mostly absorb before adding the next. Stir risotto frequently, to massage out the starch and really add creaminess.
  4. After half the stock has been added to the rice, add the mashed butternut and let it cook in then continue to add stock. Cooked risotto should be creamy but have a little bite to it, like pasta cooked al dente.
  5. In a small pan, cook bacon. Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove from pan and let cool on some paper towel. Once it is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop.
  6. Heat the pan with the bacon fat over medium heat then add the sage leaves (if you are omitting the bacon, use an oil with a high smoking point like vegetable or canola for this part). They will crisp up and brown in a minute or so, then remove them immediately from the heat and let them cool. They should be fragrant and have a lovely light, crispy texture- similar to kale chips.
  7. Once the risotto is cooked through to your liking (this should take about 40 minutes), remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of chopped bacon and crispy sage leaves.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/butternut-squash-risotto-with-smoked-bacon-crispy-fried-sage/