chorizo and roasted butternut squash risotto
Monday, August 20, 2007 at 07:19 
we’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian and fish dishes recently which is largely due to the spell of warmer weather that we’ve been having. however, this week i’ve been wanting something meaty and what better choice is there than chorizo?
one of the things that i always buy when i visit borough market is the picante (spicy!) cooking chorizo from brindisa, a fabulous stall that specialises in all things spanish. their chorizo is bursting with flavour – the spicy heat of the paprika and garlicky pungency perfectly complement the rich meaty taste.
roasted butternut squash risotto is one of my favourite risottos and in this version the chilli and garlic in the chorizo mean you don’t need to add them separately. a generous amount of parmesan and black pepper balances the flavours and the lemon juice helps cut through some of the rich oiliness of the dish.
chorizo and roasted butternut squash risotto (serves 2)
½ butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
100g cooking chorizo
1 small onion, finley chopped
150-175g risotto rice
75ml white wine
600ml hot vegetable stock (i make mine with marigold bouillon powder)
50g grated parmesan
juice of half a lemon
freshly grated black pepper
preheat the oven to 200c.
toss the butternut squash with the olive oil and season. place on a tray and roast until soft – around 20-30 minutes.
meanwhile, put the chorizo in a pan and fry until it releases its oil and starts to cook. add the onion and cook until it is soft and the chorizo is cooked through. add the rice and mix well so it becomes coated in the chorizo oil. turn the heat up, add the white wine and stir while it bubbles away.
add the vegetable stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly and adding the next ladle when the rice absorbs the liquid. when you have used most of the stock, test the rice to see if it is cooked – you may need slightly more/less liquid. when it is ready add the roasted butternut squash, parmesan, lemon juice and black pepper. cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
variation: if i’d had some spinach in, i’d have added that at the end just before the butternut squash, so it has time to wilt into the risotto. a handful of fresh basil, also added at the end would be good.
other chorizo recipes:
chorizo and bean salad (april 2007)
chorizo, bean and butternut squash salad (january 2007)
Reader Comments (16)
I hope you are well.
Have you been to any of the London food markets?
Any advice?
i visit quite a few of the different markets. borough is always good if you can make it on a friday or early on saturday morning so you can avoid the crowds.
marylebone/islington famers markets are good because of all the surrounding foodie shops and restaurants. china town and tooting are good for a different sort of food shopping.
maybe visit wholefoods as well (look under the shopping tab in the menu on the left for reviews).
when you fry the chorizo (in a dry pan, don't add any extra oil) it will release this fat (it looks like an orange oil) and you can drain most of this off if you're wanting to be extra good. you just need a tablespoon or so as this is what you then use to cook the onion/rest of the risotto.
Many thanks.
Don't worry about the fat content, indulgence is the whole point of BEAUT recipes like this! It's all the "bad things" that make life worth living! Is it not??
having said this, i have noticed that good spanish delis often stock a variety of types of chorizo including some that have less fat - perhaps its worth looking out for this.
let me know what you think of the end result!