SQUASH AND SAGE RISOTTO

The starches in arborio rice give it a creamy quality and bump up its glycaemic index rating, making it an instantly digestible source of energy and an ideal fuel for fatigued muscles

INGREDIENTS

1 large butternut squash

• 1.25ltr chicken or veg stock

• 4 shallots, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, diced

• 50g butter

• 500g arborio risotto rice

• 250ml white wine

• 75g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated

• handful of sage

METHOD

1 | To kick things off, you’ll need your largest knife. Use it to peel, deseed and dice the squash (careful now), then roast in foil for 30 mins at 200°C.

2 | While the squash is cooking, warm the stock in a pan. In another pan, sweat the shallots and garlic with half of the butter, until soft.

3 | Chuck in the rice and wine, stirring often. When the rice has absorbed all the wine, start adding the

warm stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring constantly as the rice cooks – this should take about 20 mins.

4 | When the risotto looks soft and creamy, stir through the roasted squash, the Parmesan, the rest of the butter, and some seasoning.

5 | Tear a few sage leaves, scatter them on top and serve up for a quick-fire energy boost.