Butternut Squash, some heat & some stuff that’s sweet

I originally started writing this about some inpiring Butternut Squash Risotto recipes. I linked to the following 5 recipes:

• The Pioneer Woman’s Butternut Squash Risotto
• The Flaming Vegan’s Risotto With Roasted Butternut Squash
• Jamie Oliver’s Roast squash, sage, chestnut & pancetta risotto *(not vegetarian)
  • Jamie Oliver’s basic risotto recipe
• Deliciously Ella’s Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

At the time I was thinking about giving up dairy but I no longer think that’s necessary so I think I will follow the Pioneer Woman’s recipe as is. I’ve never actually made a risotto so I also linked to Jamie Oliver’s basic risotto recipe, as well as his recipe for a butternut risotto which includes chestnuts and pancetta (so not vegetarian). As luck would have it I came across some vacuum-packed chestnuts in the supermarket this week. They have a shelf life of about 2 years so, at some point, I will hopefully try out that risotto too. I think the vegan recipes are nice to have for slightly “lighter” options.

I haven’t yet got around to making the risotto but I still wanted to keep a note of the links here.

I also came across this lovely butternut squash soup recipe by The Endless Meal. There is also harissa in the soup. I like harissa, it’s a north African chilli paste and you can buy it in various strengths. The last one I bought reminded me a lot of the sauce in a Balti curry recipe I once made. I searched for some harissa recipes to see if it is the same as what was used in that curry – it’s close-ish but slightly different to a proper harissa. Anyway these are some harissa recipes I want to try out later.

• Smitten Kitchen’s homemade harissa
• Harissa on About Food
• The Daring Gourmet’s harissa

I also found a few recipes for sweet treats that I wanted to make note of – I find it impossible to keep away from sugar when the weather is cold.

• Serious Eat’s 3 Ingredient Frozen Fruit Mousse – very intriguing, haven’t tried it yet… It’s dairy free in case you’re after that sort of sweet.
• Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart – look so so good! Contains quite a bit of dairy but I did see some vegan options on Pinterest if you search for same.
• Donal Skehan’s Orange Polenta Cake – looks good! Would like to also try with shards of dark chocolate and adding some different spices…

I still haven’t used those black beans yet. I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman that I might try soon.