Since my girlfriend became a vegetarian, a fun challenge was to create recipes that are as fulfilling as ‘conventional recipes’. By which I mean that there are enough different components which do not let you miss either structure or certain tastes. This recipe seemed tick most of the boxes. The coconut milk makes the risotto creamy, but not as heavy as when you’d add butter.
Ingredients (4 persons)
| 1 | butternut squash | |
| salt, pepper, olive oil | ||
| 3 | shallots (chopped) | |
| 300 | gr | risotto |
| 100 | ml | white wine or vermouth |
| 600 | ml | vegetable stock (hot) |
| 400 | ml | coconut milk (hot) |
| 6-8 | chestnut mushrooms or shiitake (chopped) | |
| some | parsley (chopped) | |
| some | spring onion (chopped) | |
| 50 | gr | parmesan or pecorino (grated) |
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Cut the butternut squash into 1x1 cm cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients:
- cut the mushrooms finely
- chop the spring onion
- grate the cheese
- heat the vegetable stock
- heat the coconut milk
Start making the risotto: cook the chopped shallots in some olive oil until translucent. Add the risotto and cook until translucent. Add white wine (or vermouth) and cook until evaporated. Then add 200 ml of vegetable stock and cook until evaporated. Repeat.
Then add 200 ml of coconut milk and cook until evaporated. Repeat. Add the last 200 ml of vegetable stock and cook until evaporated. Then add the pieces of mushroom and spring onion and mix.
Then remove it from the heat. Add the grated cheese. Stir to combine.
Pumpkin/squash should be nicely roasted. Plate the risotto with the butternut squash cubes.
The roasted pumpkin adds both a roasted bitterness and some sweetness, but the dish might be enhanced with roasted pine nuts and/or a dash of something like balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses.