risotto

roast squash, sage, chestnut and pancetta risotto

servings
6

method

If I could pick a load of ingredients that just shout out ‘Bonfire Night! Christmas! Cosy!’ it would have to be all the ones in this risotto. It’s so damn good — cook it whenever the ingredients are in season.

Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Carefully cut your butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put these to one side. Cut the squash lengthways into 0.5cm/¼ inch slices. Bash up your coriander and chillies with a pinch of salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar (or use a metal bowl and the end of a rolling pin). Dust this over your squash with a tablespoon of olive oil. Toss around until completely coated. Line up snugly in a roasting tray and bake for around 30 minutes until the flesh and skin are soft to the touch. Now get all your ingredients ready and start making your basic risotto.

Remove the squash from the oven and lay your pancetta over it. Mix the squash seeds, chestnuts and sage leaves with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the squash and pancetta and place back in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until the pancetta is crisp.

Once the squash has cooled down a little, shake off the pancetta and chestnuts and finely chop the squash – it will be quite mushy but that’s fine. I go for half of it fine and half chunky. Add this to the risotto at the end of Stage 3. Carry on as normal through the basic recipe, season to taste and serve with the pancetta, chestnuts, sage leaves and squash seeds sprinkled over the top.

Lovely served with a big dollop of mascarpone cheese on the side.

Try this: Place a grater and a block of Parmesan cheese in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves.

• from Jamie's Kitchen

ingredients

• 1 x basic risotto recipe
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 level tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 small dried chillies
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 12 slices of pancetta or dry-cured smoky bacon
• 100g/3½oz chestnuts (vac-packed are fine)
• a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked
• optional: 6 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese

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tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Darren on Sun 12 Jun 2011 @ 00:58

This is my risotto staple. I follow it to the letter and it just works. Pancetta and chestnuts are the key for me and, yes, massage that starch right out of the rice.

2. by tash82 on Wed 15 Dec 2010 @ 00:15

Made this without the chestnuts as I couldn't get hold of any and tasted absolute lovely without them. Loved the crispy sage leaves and I left out the marscapone to try to be a bit healthier! Would definitely recommend making this, althought it did take me awhile to make but worth all the effort!

3. by HANK on Fri 10 Dec 2010 @ 13:10

Any suggestions for a substitute for pancetta for people who don't eat pork??

4. by Kate on Tue 23 Mar 2010 @ 08:11

I'm a vege and didn't have any chestnuts kicking about so added cubes of feta cheese and crunchy (barely cooked) sugar snaps. Delicious!

5. by Kim on Fri 15 May 2009 @ 13:54

Can I use dried sage leaves? should I try to rehydrate them or put them in butter or something?

6. by jack on Thu 20 Nov 2008 @ 09:01

Help needed!

Please can I have an alternative to placing nuts in this! I’m allergic and would like to try this but it has nuts in the recipe !

7. by Sarah on Fri 05 Sep 2008 @ 13:27

I started making this after I ate it at 15... but I didn't have the recipe so I made up my own. On my pumpkin (I'm Australian so we call it that!) I grated nutmeg and drizzled with olive oil... it works really well!! I've not used marscapone and it's always worked well in the past just adding the pumpkin and pancetta near the end of a basic risotto recipe.

8. by theo on Sat 22 Mar 2008 @ 12:50

Even if you put only good mascarpone and not butter it will be fine. The Italians call the stage of adding milk fat, mantecatura which does not have to include both. Try to use one of them, but a better quality

9. by Sarah on Fri 15 Feb 2008 @ 22:49

Delicious- the squash flavor is really delicate and the salty bacon and herbs set it off perfectly. Absolutely lovely. My only complaint would be that Jamie doesn't indicate which amoun of butter to put in when (there is knob and a larger amount in the recipe) but it tasted great so I must have guessed right!

10. by Katerina on Tue 22 Jan 2008 @ 07:44

Hello everyone! One question about the chestnuts: should they be roasted, boiled or raw?

11. by theo on Tue 08 Jan 2008 @ 19:51

I 'll be honest: not everybody in my family enjoyed it propably cause they're not so keen on the squash flavor but they absolutely loved my addition of roasted sausages instead of bacon!!! Hey Wendy, try some toasted hazelnunts instead! You know, soft, crunchy always works!

12. by Wendy on Wed 31 Oct 2007 @ 07:47

Here in what was once sunny South Africa, can't get chestnuts. Any suggestions on an alternative?
Thanks!

13. by Marit on Mon 22 Oct 2007 @ 13:23

I Love it, I love it, I love it!!!!

14. by Mary on Thu 23 Aug 2007 @ 16:10

Butternut squash in a risotto is a fantastic idea. This is one of my favorite recipes and I use it regularly, adapting it depending on which ingredients I have in the kitchen and who is eating with us. Every time I serve it, people always ask for the recipe! In my view, the bacon is an optional extra, and the chestnut isn't essential either! It still tastes great without without either of them! And the marscapone cheese is a luxury - the risotto is still delicious without it! So vegetarians, those on a diet and those who need to stick to a budget can adapt it to suit their needs. Thanks Jamie for a great idea.

15. by Tasha on Thu 16 Aug 2007 @ 09:47

WOW! I made this dish the other night - other half supposedly not that keen on squash - he ate the lot! meant to serve 6 - not in our house!! hahaha Top tip, I used pancetta cubes and left them to roast a bit longer, until they were nice and crisp, gave it a lovely salty edge, good if you like crispy bacon! ummmm! Thanks J xx

16. by Nathalie on Wed 01 Aug 2007 @ 17:21

Mr Oliver hits the mark again with this one. Being an Essex-ite myself, I have a great fondness of Jamie's recipes, but this one was amazing. Inadvertedly served it to someone that didnt like sage or pancetta (oops - didnt know!!) but they adored it and it has encouraged them to try more dishes with these two in them. Great stuff

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