Roasted pumpkin risotto with almonds, sage and Parma ham

Preparation

Chop the onions. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkins into 2cm chunks. Chop the celery. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.

Method

1. 1 Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 (180°C for fan ovens).
2. 2 Put the pumpkin in a large roasting tin, drizzle with one-third of the oil and season. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until tender and beginning to turn golden. Move on to the next steps while you wait.
3. 3 Heat half of the remaining oil and half the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 6-8 minutes, until soft.
4. 4 Increase the heat slightly and stir through the rice, coating it with the oil and butter. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the grains begin to look translucent (be careful not to brown the rice).
5. 5 Pour in the wine – which should sizzle from the heat of the pan - and simmer for 1 minute.
6. 6 Keeping the stock on a low heat, add a ladleful and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until absorbed. Continue adding, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.
7. 7 After about 20 minutes, once most of the stock has been added, the rice should be al dente - if it's too firm, add another ladle of stock and cook for several minutes. Move on to the next steps while you wait.
8. 8 Meanwhile, heat a dry frying pan until hot. Add the almonds and toast over a medium heat, transfer to a plate and set aside.
9. 9 Add the Parma ham to the pan and cook briefly until crisp. Cool on a plate then break into small pieces.
10. 10 Heat the remaining olive oil in the frying pan, add the sage leaves and fry over a medium heat for up to 1 minute, until fragrant and crispy around the edges.
11. 11 Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the cheese and the remaining butter.
12. 12 Mash one third of the pumpkin with a fork and stir this through the risotto.
13. 13 Serve the risotto topped with the remaining roasted pumpkin, a sprinkling of Parmesan, the toasted almonds, sage and crispy pieces of Parma ham. Season to taste.