Ingredients
- About 1.5 litres light vegetable stock
- 120g butter
- A good handful of sage leaves, torn
- 500g peeled and diced butternut
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 350g risotto rice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
Method
You need three pots to make this. Put stock in one pot on the back of the stove and keep at a simmer. Heat half the butter in a 1-litre pot until golden brown. Add sage and cook until wilted. Add butternut and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 cup stock, cover and simmer rapidly until butternut is almost tender.
Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a 2-3 litre pot. When sizzling, add leek and bay leaf and cook until leek is soft. Add rice and salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add enough stock to cover rice by 2cm and bring to the boil. Turn to a simmer, stir briefly then leave to gently cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in another cup of stock then leave until that has been absorbed. Keep cooking this way: after about 15 minutes the rice should be al dente.
Mash about a third of the butternut in the pot then add it all to the rice; stir well and keep cooking. The rice should be ready after about 20 minutes in total. Stir in soy sauce, take off heat, cover pot and stand for 5 minutes.
Give risotto a final stir, adding extra salt and stock if needed, to loosen, and serve piping hot.
This recipe is featured in the book, Vegetarian which is available now in all good bookstores RRP $34.95. To order direct call 1300 656 059 or visit www.smh.com.au/store
