Honestly, I wasn’t overwhelmed by this recipe. Admittedly, I started cooking on a Friday night after 3 cocktails with Chow and I did not have any of the recommended nutritional yeast (which I imagine contributes towards the flavour). So, this may be more down to me than the recipe itself… However, it was really easy to make, filling, and I enjoyed it! (The other two assured me they also enjoyed it, but their half full plates said otherwise…!) Either way, I think I would make this risotto again because it stores well so would make a good, portable weekday lunch option. The ingredients were all also quite cheap and it made me feel super autumnal! (My fave season)

What you need: Brown rice, apple cider vinegar, any type of dried herbs, 2 butternut squash, paprika and cumin, nutritional yeast (the thought of using yeast also weirded me out a little, but could have been my downfall), tahini, 1 lemon, coriander.

In the cocktail bar, Chow found a £10 note on the floor so naturally we went to the nearest Sainsbury’s Local to spend our new-found fortune. In a last minute panic, Chow arrived at the till with chicken fillets, potato dauphinoise, and some pineapple chunks… Admittedly, the chicken fillets were a really great addition to the risotto (and despite complaining about the amount of cream and cheese in the potatoes, I actually enjoyed them ALOT). The pineapple chunks also kept him quiet whilst dinner was cooking…

Tipsy actions to follow: 

1) Chop up the two butternut squash into chunks. Squash are surprisingly difficult to chop up, and this was probably a terrible idea after a Long Island Ice Tea (or two). Fortunately, Jenna and I stole an amazing, professional knife from our last flat in Oval that literally cuts through everything… Still had to use my non-existent biceps more than I’d like to though.. Preheat the oven to 210 Celsius (190 for a fan oven)

2) Put 200g of rice in a saucepan with 1 litre of water and add salt, a drizzle of apple cider vinegar, and your chosen dried herbs. I don’t often cook rice so this recipe actually taught me a great life skill, particularly as I think brown rice is cooked differently to white rice (?!) So, bring the pan to boil for about 5 minutes, and then let it simmer for about 45 minutes. I stirred the rice now and then, and also had to add a little more boiling water. But don’t get over excited with the water, nobody likes soggy rice..

3) Place the squash chunks onto a baking tray and drizzle over some olive oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Leave in the oven for around 30 minutes… And then pour yourself a gin and tonic and enjoy

4) Once the squash is cooked, put three quarters of the squash into a food processor with a bit of water, 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of tahini, salt, and the juice of one lemon. Blend. (I had to do this in two batches but it didn’t seem to matter, it was all mixed together in the end)

5) Add the blended squash mix to the rice. To serve, decorate with the remaining squash chunks and make it look even more pretty with some coriander leaves (the coriander leaves did also have some positive taste attributes)

Risotto was followed by a confusing card game that I think Chow made up as he went along, a lot more gin and tonic, and some chocolate fro-yo. TGIF