Bacon and Butternut Squash Risotto

Meanwhile, halve, peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all). Halve half the red chilli(double for 4p) lengthways, deseed and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). 

Pour 1L water (double for 4p) into a pot on high heat. Add the muscat, stir to dissolve and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Heat a splash of oil in another large pot on medium heat. Add the onion and bacon lardons. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat. Stir and cook until the onion is soft and the bacon browned, 5-6 mins.

Add the garlic and chilli (add less if you dont like the heat), cook for 1 minute more, then stir in the risotto rice. Cook for 1-2 mins. Add a ladleful of the stock and stir. Once the rice has absorbed the stock, add another ladleful and continue to stir. Continue adding stock and stirring regularly, until all the stock has been absorbed by the rice. This should take 25-30 mins.

The risotto is ready when the rice is ‘al dente’ - cooked through but has a bit of firmness left in the middle. Once ready, remove from the heat. Add the cooked butternut squash, the hard Italian cheese, 3/4 of the parsley and a knob of butter (if you have some).