Halloween Risotto with Beetroot, Squash and Sage

A spooky-good Halloween risotto: the beetroot turns the rice a deep purple, joined by roasted Hokkaido squash, crispy sage leaves and goat's cheese. With pumpkin seeds and Parmesan, it becomes an autumnal, festive main course.

By yumbelo · 2 servings · 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pc Onion
• 1 pc Garlic clove
• 200 g Arborio risotto rice
• 2 pc Beetroot
• 300 g Hokkaido squash
• 1 l Vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 20 g Butter
• 50 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 60 g Fresh goat's cheese
• 8 pc Sage leaves
• 30 g Pumpkin seeds
• 1 pc Lemon (juice and zest)
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C conventional heat. Cut the squash into roughly 2 cm cubes, toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt, and roast for 25 minutes until the edges are browned.
2. Peel the beetroot, cut into pieces and simmer in 1 l vegetable stock for about 20 minutes until soft. Then purée one ladleful of stock with the beetroot until smooth and return it to the remaining stock. Keep the stock warm.
3. Finely dice the onion and garlic and sweat them in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 4 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until glossy.
4. Gradually stir in the warm beetroot stock, letting each ladleful reduce before adding the next. Cook the risotto, stirring, for about 18 minutes until the rice is creamy but still al dente.
5. While the risotto simmers, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small pan and fry the sage leaves for 1 minute until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan until golden brown, then remove them from the pan so they don't burn.
7. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice, and let the risotto rest for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
8. Divide the risotto between two plates, spread the roasted squash over it and crumble the goat's cheese on top. Sprinkle with the sage and pumpkin seeds and serve immediately.