Still full!

I am going to try to eat a bit more sensibly today – I am feeling a little gluggy after several days of chocolate abuse  plus a constant slow feed of alcohol and general rich food.

Breakfast didn’t go too well; 

a) it took place at 10.45 am, and 
b) it consisted of strong coffee and a delicious selection of Belgian chocolate biscuits which were a gift from my love.  The perfectly logical reason for this is that I am trying to get rid of them before I start the traditional New Year Diet.  (More on that in a few days time, I do have a rather excellent Cunning Plan).

So today’s lunch …

~ Menu ~

Roast Squash, Red Onion & Chilli Risotto

and, OK, a little red wine

… and um - some Lindt Orange Intense

I bought a pretty little squash the other day just because it looked so appealing and today I thought I’d better use it before it was too late.  So this is the recipe wot I just made up  …

Roasted Squash, Red Onion & Chilli Risotto

1 small squash 

1 small red onion – thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

a few chilli flakes

Another tbsp olive oil

200 g Arborio rice

a splash of white wine

600 ml veg stock

Freshly grated Parmesan

~   Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6.

~   Halve the squash across its equator.
~   Peel, seed and dice the flesh of the top half.
~   Toss the diced squash together with the onion, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and chilli flakes and roast till tender and browning - about 40 minutes.
~   Remove the seeds from the bottom half, brush the inside with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast alongside the diced squash till tender but still holding its shape.

~   Meanwhile, as they say, toss the rice together with the other tablespoon of olive oil to coat and cook a minute or two, stirring, till it starts to look a little translucent.

~   Add the white wine splash (to be honest this is supposed to be warm so as not to “shock” the rice but mine wasn’t) and stir in till gone.

~   Add half the stock and simmer, stirring a lot till that has almost gone too.

~   Continue adding stock, stirring, simmering, tasting etc. till the rice is just cooked in a sort of savoury soupy gloop.

~   Taste and season, stir in plenty of Parmesan and then the lovely roasted squash.
~   Pile into the other half of the squash.
~   Eat.

Pin for future reference!

The Lindt chocolate, a whole selection of Lindt chocolates in fact, was another gift from my love.  I wonder if I should just forget the diet altogether – perhaps he is subtly hinting that he’d prefer me a little fatter!

It’s been lovely to have a white Christmas and to be warm and cosy instead of all that tropical sun we’re used to!  Do you know I even mean that a bit!