Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 x large butternut squash
- Olive oil - enough for roasting and the risotto
- 12 x sage leaves (fresh)
- 8 x good quality venison sausages
- 2 x garlic cloves
- 1 x large onion
- 4 x handfuls of Arborio rice + bit extra (I normally work to one handful per person when making risotto with a little bit extra for luck!)
- 400ml white wine
- 800ml chicken stock
- Handful of grated parmesan cheese
- Knob of butter
- Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
Peel, cut in half right down the middle and de-seed the butternut squash - I find a good household peeler works OK for butternut squash. Slice the squash into 'smiles' - or half moons - and chuck into a good, deep roasting tray. Scatter the sage leaves over the top and add a good tablespoon or more of olive oil and give it a good stir with your hands until the squash is coated but not drowning in oil ;-)
Give them a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper before putting it into the oven to roast for 45-50 minutes, or until soft and squishy and the natural sugars are coming out so it caramelises underneath. Once cooked and soft, mash the squash with a fork until you have decent chunks of squash left, but you have a good mush also.
Keep to one side and warm while you make the risotto and sausages.
Keep the oven on and put the sausages onto a baking tray to cook in the oven. Venison sausages aren't as fatty as pork or other sausages so they cook well in the oven and don't need to drip. Do not cover, but cook them for approx. 20-25 minutes or until lovely and brown and cooked all the way through.
To make the risotto, start to soften the finely chopped onion and minced garlic in a high-sided, large saucepan in a lug of olive oil. Once they start to become translucent, add the dry risotto rice straight into the pan with the onion/garlic.
Have the pan on a medium to low heat - we do not want anything to burn or boil here - it's a gentle, slow cooking. You will need to be available to keep an eye on the risotto from now on.
The rice will start to suck up the olive oil and onion/garlic juices. Once this starts to disappear, add approximately half of the white wine, this should fizz and sizzle on the bottom of the pan. Again, the rice should start to soak this up, and once it is drying up, add the rest of the wine. Keep stirring the risotto, don't let anything stick to the bottom of the pan.
Your hot chicken stock should be in a jug or pan next to you ready to go. For as soon as the wine starts to dry out, add a ladel of stock, and keep doing this as the liquid reduces each time. Remember to keep the risotto on a simmer only, stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper.
You may not need to use all the stock, but you also may need more. Judge this by eye and try/taste the risotto - you want it to be creamy and slightly al dente, but overall luscious and soft. Not too thick and not too thin ;-) Easy for me to say, I know! This should take up to 20 mins if you keep on a low-medium heat and simmering nicely.
Once you think you're about done, add a knob of butter and the grated parmesan, and make sure you season well (remembering the butternut squash you will be adding has salt and pepper on it already).
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the butternut squash you kept to one side. Make sur eyou get everything from the roasting tray including all those brown/caramelised bits yum yum. Check seasoning again and put a lid on don't touch it for about 5 minutes. In this time you can check the sausages are cooked and prepare the plates.
Serve a ladel-ful of risotto in the middle of the plate, with two sausages per person, and some extra parmesan shavings if there is any left.
Now enjoy! And hope there is some left over for your lunch tomorrow!
