Baked risotto pie
SWEET SPICY SQUASH & OOZY CHEESES A crispy baked risotto pie is a thing of beauty, especially when stuffed with nutty squash and gorgeous oozy cheeses. This dish can be served as an antipasto, or an aperitivo, but it also makes a wonderful lunch or dinner. Simply pair it up with a fresh rocket salad and a nice glass of wine – what’s not to love? SERVES 8-10 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING 1 x White Risotto (see page 31) 400g butternut squash 2 cloves of garlic 1 fresh red chilli olive oil 1 sprig of fresh rosemary 100g fine stale breadcrumbs 75g mixed melty cheeses, such as fontina, Parmesan, Cheddar 125g ball of mozzarella cheese 2 lemons
Make the White Risotto the night before you need it, but don’t loosen it with extra stock, just add butter and Parmesan, so your risotto is firm enough to hold its shape. Cool it quickly and keep in the fridge overnight. The next day, deseed the squash and chop into 1cm cubes, peel and roughly chop the garlic, and finely slice half the chilli. Place it all in a large frying pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil and the rosemary sprig. Season lightly with sea salt and cook for 8 minutes, or until just starting to soften, stirring regularly. Now, stir in the risotto.
Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/gas 6. Scrunch up a sheet of wet greaseproof paper, then flatten it out and rub generously with oil. Scatter over half the breadcrumbs, then use the sheet to line a deep baking tray (20cm x 30cm), crumb side up. Spoon in two-thirds of the risotto, discarding the rosemary. Flatten the risotto along the base and up the sides to create a receptacle for the cheese. Roughly chop and scatter in the melty cheeses, tear over the mozzarella, then spoon over the remaining risotto, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs, then bake at the bottom of the oven for 1 hour, or until golden and crisp. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then use the paper to lift out on to a board, and slice. Finely chop and scatter over the remaining chilli and serve with lemon wedges, for squeezing over. It’s a wonderfully oozy, crumbly, delicious plateful. NUTRITION PER SERVING 417 kcal; 19.1g fat (8.5g saturated); 16.4g protein; 44.9g carbs; 4.5g sugars; 1g salt; 2g fibre