Roasted Butternut Squash, Garlic and smoky Bacon Risotto

Store cupboard meals can sometimes be the best kind and this is exactly what this turned out to be. My fridge was looking rather bare but I did have some smoked bacon a large butternut squash and a Parmesan rind with a thick layer of Parmesan still on it perfect for just throwing in the risotto and letting it work it's cheesy magic! I didn't have wine so just used chicken stock and it was perfectly fine.

Risotto Rice
Butternut squash
6 cloves of Garlic
6 Rashers of Smokey Bacon
Parmesan cheese/Rind
1 Large Onion diced
Olive Oil
Knob of Butter
Salt and Pepper




I started by chopping my onion up and gently frying in butter and olive oil. I also chopped up my butternut squash and tossed It in a roasting tin with garlic and olive oil. I keep the garlic in there skins to stop them burning and so I can squish them out of there skins later







After frying the onions I add the risotto rice to the pan and take the cloves of garlic out of the over to add to it.




I cooked my bacon under the grill because I like it crispy, I saved the crispiest bits to go on the top!


My boyfriend isn't keen on chunks of butternut squash so it was scraped from the skin when it had been roasted and was mixed in to the risotto, fussy boy.


That's my lonely cucumber in the background, I had no other salad items to go with it.........

sausage with bubble and squeak cakes and a rather yummy chicken, bacon and leek pie

I have been having very strong carb cravings due to me trying to be a bit healthier and cutting down on bread, potato's, pasta and such like, I'm not gonna lie, it's been hard and at some points emotional. So I totally gave in and went a bit carb mad over the last few days starting with some fat juicy sausages from the butchers served alongside my bubble and squeak cakes filled with bacon and cabbage and smothered in roast onion gravy. Such a simple thing to make and so God damn delicious it can never be a bad thing in my opinion.






As if the sausage and potato feast wasn't enough the next day I made a 'Chicken, bacon and leek pie' with mounds of buttery mash and savoy cabbage. I browned off some corn fed chicken legs and thighs and then added bacon lardons, chopped leeks and then sweat them off in butter and white wine before adding a dash of cream at the end. I was naughty and bough puff pastry but it was still very good and I wasn't complaining!