Spring appears to have sprung once more, or at the very least is in the process of springing. Lucas and I took a walk in the park this afternoon–well, I walked, he rode in style in his pushchair–and admired all the flowers that dotted the grass as well as the formal beds. It was almost balmy.

Alas, with spring comes the realisation that butternut squash is now coming to the end of its natural season. I almost felt guilty turning on the oven to roast it this afternoon, but the thought of delicious chunks of squidgy and sweet squash drove away my guilt. I have to admit to roasting extra for snacking purposes! And why not? On Weight Watchers, butternut squash is a zero point vegetable and it also has the honour of being considered a superfood due to its vitamin and mineral packed flesh, low calorie value and tiny amount of saturated fat. All that and it tastes amazing, too!

This is a warm and comforting risotto. Perfect for winter’s end, really. The roasted squash is so sweet and tender with the occasional hit of heat from the large amount of black pepper that I ground over it before shoving it in the oven. The roasted garlic melts into the creamy risotto in just the few brief moments before serving and isn’t at all overpowering. And the sage? It ties all the flavours together. I’m liking it much better after a couple of weeks of sage-centric cookery and even added extra to the top of my plate.

Goodbye winter and hello spring!

Roast butternut squash, garlic and sage risotto

Serves 2 generously.
WW (UK) points per serving: 8.5

1/2 medium-to-large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks (about inch cubes)
4 small unpeeled garlic cloves
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
10g butter
125ml white wine
160g risotto rice of your choice
approximately 1litre of chicken stock
small handful sage leaves, shredded
30g freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C / 200C fan / Gas Mark 6.

Put 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil into a shallow roasting tin and add the squash and unpeeled garlic cloves. Season well and toss the vegetables around to coat.

Roast for about 25 minutes until all the veg are tender and the squash is caramelised around the corners.

Fish out the garlic and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel and return to the tray with the squash. Leave to cool. This can be done several hours ahead.

Put stock in a medium saucepan and bring to simmering point. Melt the butter and remaining 1 tsp of oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Fry the onion until translucent, turn up the heat to medium and add the rice. Stir briskly until the outside of each grain of rice is translucent. Add the wine and stir vigorously until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Add stock, ensuring that each ladle-full is absorbed properly before adding the next one. Taste after ten minutes and keep checking the tenderness until it’s cooked to your liking. Add one further small ladle of stock and the roasted squash/garlic. Stir gently until the vegetables are hot and the stock absorbed. Stir in the grated parmesan and leave to sitfor a couple of minutes to become even creamier. Add the sage just before serving.