Now it’s officially Autumn and the nights are drawing in, our thoughts turn to comforting warm food. Chef Craig Floate from Nottingham tells us how to cook the perfect the Autumn dish.
‘This is really simple to do in the home, but can look lovely also and can be used for a dinner party and impressing your guests.
Squash is bang in season now so cheap and really tasty also. Pretty quick dish also to knock up for the majority of people know days where time is of the essence.
Simple butternut squash risotto, parmesan and basil
Ingredients –
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200g finely diced butternut squash
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200ml vegetable stock
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4 tbsp olive oil
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1 large banana shallot, chopped
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1 sprig thyme
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1 clove garlic
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100ml of white wine
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100g Arborio rice
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50ml double cream or crème fraiche
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4 tbsp grated parmesan
Method –
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Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and finely dice
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Finely dice the shallot, and garlic
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Sauté the onion and garlic without colour for a couple of minutes, once cooked add butternut squash and thyme
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Stir in the squash, add the white wine and reduce until all the alcohol has been burned off
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Add the Arborio rice and stir in, then add the stock gradually. Once all the rice has soaked up the liquid then add a little bit more stock until it has all been used
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Check that the rice is cooked but not over cooked, take off the heat immediately and stir in the cream or crème fraiche
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Check seasoning
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To make parmesan tuille, finely grate the parmesan onto an oven tray and cook for 4-5 minutes in a hot oven until it begins to bubble and look like a spider’s web
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Do not over cook as the cheese will turn bitter. Once it has reached this stage, take from the oven and allow to cool, where you can slice it with a knife or just break bits off and should be nice and crispy.
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Serve immediately with a drizzle of basil oil
Craig Floate
Fore information on Craig, visit:
Twitter – @Craigfloatechef
Facebook – craigfloatechef
