Super supper

Yes, I'm afraid it's recipe corner again, but I'm really pleased with this one, as it was my own invention and turned out really well. Lovely comfort food for a cold winter's evening, and a brilliant dish for entertaining vegans (or vegans entertaining).

Butternut squash, roasted garlic and ginger risotto

2 butternut squashes
1 bulb of garlic
1 small onion
A cubic inch or so of fresh ginger
Half a pack (about 250-300g) risotto rice
A generous glass of white wine
Olive oil
Vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Quarter and seed the squashes. Separate and peel the garlic cloves. Lay both in a roasting tin and slosh olive oil over - use a pastry brush to make sure it's all covered. Put it in the oven at mark 6.

Chop the onion and the ginger very finely. In a heavy pan, gently fry in olive oil until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Then add the wine and stir. Turn it down to a simmer and keep stirring. When the wine is nearly all absorbed, start adding the stock. There's a lot of mythology about making risotto - keeping the stock simmering, adding it a ladle at a time, and stirring constantly. Not necessary, in my experience. This is the cheat's version. Obviously you do have to keep a close eye on it, and you do have to stir it frequently, but it doesn't come to any harm if you leave it for a minute or two or add a bit more stock at a time. Once the rice is done (bite a few grains to check) and the liquid all absorbed, take it off the stove and put a lid on it while you wait for the stuff in the oven to be done. Season with salt and pepper at this stage.

When the squash is soft (after about an hour, possibly longer if the gas runs out half way through), scrape if off the skin with a sharp-edged spoon. Add this to the rice. Squash the roasted garlic cloves, and add them, and the roasting oil, to the rice too. Gently stir until everything is evenly mixed, and serve. Unlike most risottos, this one doesn't even need any parmesan to be sumptuous.

Really. Try it.