Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe
Summary
Ingredients
| 1 butternut squash (about 2lb/900g), peeled and cut into small cubes | ||
| Olive oil | 4 Tablespoon | |
| 4 tbsp/50g unsalted butter | ||
| Garlic | 2 Clove (5gm), crushed | |
| Oregano leaves | 1 Cup (16 tbs), finely chopped | |
| Sage leaves | 12 | |
| 11?4 cups/350g risotto rice, such as arborio | ||
| 11?4 quarts/1.25 liters hot vegetable stock | ||
| Lemon juice | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Sea salt and ground black pepper | ||
| Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve | ||
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Put the squash in a baking pan and sprinkle with salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.
2. Put the butter, the remaining olive oil, and the garlic in a medium pan. Cook gently for 2 minutes, then add the oregano, half the sage, and rice. Let the rice absorb the buttery juices, then stir in a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir until the stock has been absorbed, then add the remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring and making sure it has been completely absorbed before adding the next. This will take 20–25 minutes. The rice should be soft with a slight bite in the center.
3. Stir in the squash and lightly mash with the back of a fork, leaving some pieces whole. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan and remaining sage leaves.
Health tip
If you have cooked food that you aren’t going to eat immediately, cool it as quickly as possible (ideally within 1–2 hours) and then store it in the refrigerator. Never cool it down in the refrigerator, as this can raise the overall temperature, which will enable bacteria to grow on food already stored there.
Food as Medicine
Oregano is packed with health-giving phytonutrients, including a number of powerful antioxidants and volatile oils. One of these is thymol, which studies have demonstrated is a potent antibacterial and antifungal agent. Its ORAC (oxygen radical absorbency capacity, or antioxidant capacity) shows that it is one of the highest of all plant foods.
Sage makes a soothing gargle to use if you are suffering with a sore throat. Sage’s antiseptic properties help to kill bacteria. Add boiling water to some fresh sage leaves and leave to cool before using. Alternatively, gargle with small amounts of diluted pure tea tree oil, but be careful not to swallow it! Both blends can also be applied topically to the throat area to help ease soreness.
This recipe has been excerpted from 500 of the Healthiest Recipes & Health Tips You’ll Ever Need by Hazel Courteney. CICO Books, $24.95. cicobooks. To purchase the book visit www.amazon.com.
Photo Credit: CICO Books
2. Put the butter, the remaining olive oil, and the garlic in a medium pan. Cook gently for 2 minutes, then add the oregano, half the sage, and rice. Let the rice absorb the buttery juices, then stir in a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir until the stock has been absorbed, then add the remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring and making sure it has been completely absorbed before adding the next. This will take 20–25 minutes. The rice should be soft with a slight bite in the center.
3. Stir in the squash and lightly mash with the back of a fork, leaving some pieces whole. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan and remaining sage leaves.
Health tip
If you have cooked food that you aren’t going to eat immediately, cool it as quickly as possible (ideally within 1–2 hours) and then store it in the refrigerator. Never cool it down in the refrigerator, as this can raise the overall temperature, which will enable bacteria to grow on food already stored there.
Food as Medicine
Oregano is packed with health-giving phytonutrients, including a number of powerful antioxidants and volatile oils. One of these is thymol, which studies have demonstrated is a potent antibacterial and antifungal agent. Its ORAC (oxygen radical absorbency capacity, or antioxidant capacity) shows that it is one of the highest of all plant foods.
Sage makes a soothing gargle to use if you are suffering with a sore throat. Sage’s antiseptic properties help to kill bacteria. Add boiling water to some fresh sage leaves and leave to cool before using. Alternatively, gargle with small amounts of diluted pure tea tree oil, but be careful not to swallow it! Both blends can also be applied topically to the throat area to help ease soreness.
This recipe has been excerpted from 500 of the Healthiest Recipes & Health Tips You’ll Ever Need by Hazel Courteney. CICO Books, $24.95. cicobooks. To purchase the book visit www.amazon.com.
Photo Credit: CICO Books
Chef
