Ingredients

• 1 kg hokkaido pumpkin, cut into bite-size chunks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• bunch of sage, leaves picked, half roughly chopped, half left whole
• 1 vegetable cube
• 50 g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 300 g risotto rice
• 1 small glass white wine
• 50 g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated

Instructions

1. Before you make the risotto, heat oven to 220˚C. Toss the pumpkin in 1 tbsp oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 min until it is brown and soft.
2. While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare the risotto. In a pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and sweat gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
4. Pour in the wine and simmer until totally evaporated. Add the stock cube. From a boiled kettle, add a ladleful of water at a time, stirring the rice over a low heat for 15-20 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy. When you draw a wooden spoon through it, there should be a wake that holds for a few moments but not longer.
5. At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. When the pumpkin is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir though the purée, then add the cheese and butter and leave to rest for a few mins. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of pumpkin and the crisp sage leaves.