Butternut Squash “Risotto”

One of my red / beige flags definitely is that I keep buying butternut squash and then not use it or only use a small piece for a recipe and leave the rest.
So when my husband was mocking me about buying a new squash AGAIN, I swore I’d use it this time, no really! I used a small bit, then the rest was starting to get mouldy and I could feel the judgemental stares, I knew I had to do something – quickly.

This is giant couscous and squash “risotto”. Giant couscous is – as the name suggests- the giant version of regular couscous, small rolled granules of rolled wheat semolina. It has a slightly nutty flavour and cooks a lot quicker than rice. Additionally it’s a bit more forgiving, so when making a risotto, you don’t have to stand there and watch it, stirring relentlessly.

To make this warm, delicious and healthy meal, you’ll need
150g giant couscous,

50g of base mix (finely diced carrot, celery & onion),

a whole butternut squash,

salt, pepper, a small piece of butter,

1 tbs of olive oil, 1 tbs of cream,

30g of parmesan and sage & pumpkin seeds for the garnish.

First slice the squash in half and cut the part without the seeds into small cubes. You can actually eat butternut squash peel, so don’t worry about peeling it.

Add the cubes to a saucepan with water and salt and bring to the boil. Simmer until cooked. In the meantime, remove the seeds from the other bit, slice in rings and brush olive oil on the rings. Add to the air fryer for 15 mins or the oven for 25 mins at 180°C.
When your squash cubes are cooked, blend thoroughly with the remaining cooking water.
Fry the base mix & the giant couscous in olive oil until golden. Slowly add a bit of your squash and water mixture and reduce the heat. When the couscous has absorbed the water, add some more. You might need a bit more liquid, if you don’t want to use water, you can use vegetable broth.
When the couscous is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining butternut squash mixture. Add the butter, finely grated parmesan and let both melt for a bit without stirring. The texture should be like stew or creamy porridge.
In a small frying pan or saucepan fry the sage in a little bit of oil until crispy. Add to a piece of kitchen towel to drain the oil. Remove the oil from the pan and toast your pumpkin seeds on high heat until they start to pop.
Stir the couscous risotto & season to taste. Garnish with the squash rings, the pumpkin seeds & the crispy sage. Enjoy!