Mary Gwynn's squash & chorizo risotto with pine nut crisp

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking parchment. Scatter half the grated cheese onto the sheet to a thickness of about 1cm, and add the pine nuts, without pressing down. Bake for 7-8 minutes until melted and golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

2 Meanwhile, put the oil, onion and chorizo in a medium pan. Cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the squash, and cook for a 12-15 minutes until tender and golden. Stir in the sage and rice, and cook for 1 minute to coat in the pan juices, then pour in the white wine.

3 Gradually add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring throughout until the rice absorbs each amount before adding more. Continue to stir until all the stock is all absorbed. This will take 20-25 minutes, by which time you should have a creamy risotto with the rice just tender, but not mushy.

4 Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cheese, butter and seasoning, to taste. Leave the pan to stand with the lid on for 5 minutes. Serve on warmed plates with the cheese crisp broken into pieces on top.

Mary’s tip

Chill any leftover risotto, then roll into balls and coat in egg and breadcrumbs. Fry in oil for a snack or tapa.