Butternut Squash Risotto

1. Heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Manually mix the squash with chopped sage using 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Scatter the squash mixture into a shallow roasting tin and let it roast for 30 minutes.
4. Pull the squash mixture out of the oven once it is soft and brown.
5. To make risotto, place a saucepan over medium heat. Pour the stock and bring it to boil.
6. Once the stock has boiled, let it simmer on low heat.
7. In a separate pan, let half of the butter melt.
8. Stir in the finely chopped onions and stir gently and occasionally for eight to ten minutes or until they are soft but not colored.
9. Add the rice to the onions while stirring and ensure that the mixture is stirred good enough to coat the rice in butter.
10. Stir the rice until they have turned shiny and the edges start to appear transparent.
11. Pour in the wine and let the mixture simmer until it has totally evaporated.
12. Add in the stock gradually and stir the rice for around 25 to 30 minutes on low heat until the rice is slightly firm and there is a starchy bite in the middle.
13. On the other stove, take a frying pan and gently fry the whole sage leaves until they are crisp. Scatter the leaves on kitchen paper.
14. Bring out the roasted squash mixture; mash half the mixture into a rough puree and leave the other half whole.
15. Once the risotto is ready, stir in the puree and add cheese and butter. Let the risotto mixture rest for a couple of minutes.
16. Serve the risotto with whole chunks of squash and crisp sage leaves. 

Trivia

• Risotto is an Italian staple dish that is an essential part of the Italian cuisine.
• Risotto has numerous variations and butternut squash risotto is just one of them. It is cooked with meat, seafood, and seasonal vegetables, using different types of wines, butter, and onions.
• Arborio rice is best suited for butternut squash risotto for its shorter grain size
• Butternut squash risotto is deemed as a winter comfort food.