Recipe: Christmas Stuffed Butternut Squash

INGREDIENTS

Squash:

1 large butternut squash, about 1.5 kg

Risotto:

1 tbsp walnut oil or olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed

150 g Arborio rice

75 ml white wine (optional)

600 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

75 g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Juice of ½ a lemon

Good pinch of salt and black pepper

50 g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

35 g kale leaves – tough centre stalks removed

30 g walnuts, roughly chopped

35 g dried cranberries

To Serve:

Fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley and rosemary to decorate

Allergens are marked in bold

Preheat the oven to CircoTherm 170°C. Line a large baking tray with a silicone liner. Slice the butternut squash in half, lengthways and discard the seeds. Place the butternut squash halves, cut side down, in the baking tray and roast for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the risotto. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add in the garlic, stir and cook for a further minute.

Add in the rice and stir until the oil has coated the rice. Add in the wine and stir. Wait for the wine to almost fully absorb (stirring regularly) and then add the stock a ladle at a time - ensuring each ladle has almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Continue to stir regularly.

After about 20 minutes, you should have used all of the stock, and the rice should have softened, but still have a slight bite to it. If the rice is still too hard, you can add in a ladle or so of hot water from the kettle and cook for a minute or two longer. Once the risotto is cooked, turn the heat down to very low.

Add in the cheddar and stir to melt, then add in the lemon juice, salt, pepper and chestnuts. Give everything a good stir and cook for a further minute or two. Turn off the heat.

Remove the squash from the oven and carefully (use a tea towel to protect your hands) scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1-2 cm border all the way around. Stir the squash into the risotto.

Line the insides of the squash halves with two-thirds of the kale leaves and spoon the risotto into the two halves.

Top one of the halves with the cranberries and walnuts, and the other half with the remaining kale.

Put the two halves of the squash carefully back together again, and secure into place using kitchen twine. Don not pull the twine too tight, or it will cut through the squash.

Place back on the baking tray and cook on CircoTherm 170°C with low added steam for a further 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Serve decorated with fresh herbs, and more cranberries and walnuts if you like.