After the success of matching wine with food for Daily Spud, we thought we’d set ourselves up for a new challenge with another shining star on the Irish foodie scene - everyone’s favourite English Mum!

So she sent us a cracking recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto and in return we sent her two bottles of New Zealand’s finest, in the form of a dry Waipara Riesling and a top-notch Nelson Pinot Gris. I gather that she was surprised at how good the Riesling was. Here’s her full review, and below is the scrumptious recipe we just had to snatch.

You will need:

1 butternut squash

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

7 or 8 sage leaves, finely chopped

Butter

1 onion, finely chopped

350g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)

2 litres chicken stock

Parmesan, grated, and some for serving

So preheat the oven to 200/gas 6. Peel and deseed the squash and cut into cubes. Spread the pieces out on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over about half of the finely chopped sage leaves:

Roast for about 30 mins or until soft and slightly caramelised. You can do this in advance and allow the squash to cool, if you like:

For the risotto: allow the stock to come to a simmer in a saucepan, then keep warm on a low heat on the hob:

Grab a heavy based pan, put it on a low heat and melt a tablespoon of butter. Glug in some olive oil (about 2 tbsp should do it), then gently fry the onion until it’s translucent (try my trick of adding a pinch of caster sugar to stop it browning too quickly). Then add in the rice, stirring around until it’s all glossy.

Add half the squash and the finely chopped sage. Now just keep adding ladlefuls of stock, one at a time, stirring constantly and making sure all the liquid is absorbed before adding another. When all the stock is gone – this might take half an hour or so – the risotto should be nice and creamy, still with a teeny bit of bite to it.

Now add in the rest of the squash and stir in the rest of the sage (the smell is amazing). Turn the heat off, have a quick taste and season generously, then stir in another knob of butter, and a handful of grated parmesan, put the lid on and leave it to sit until you’re ready to serve. Finally, ladle the risotto into warm bowls, topping with some grated parmesan, and serve with a wine of your choice, or the above suggestions. *Drooling*

Recipe originally posted by English Mum on englishmum.com on June 18th.

We’re not just winos, you know - with the Curious Blog well under way, we’re adding a recipe for you to try at home every week. So allow us to seduce you (yes, just like those Marks and Spencer ads) with the tastiest food and wine combos to come out of our very own kitchens. Don’t be shy to leave a comment either; we’d love to hear about how you get on, whether it be with the food, the wine or both.

We’ll kick off with our Prawn Flambe. For a wine accompaniment, we would recommend a dry or off-dry New Zealand Riesling with that trademark acidity to cut through the rich creamy sauce. (You won’t be disappointed by our Waipara Springs Premo Dry Riesling, which at €12.99 is a nice, special wine for a  home cooked meal.

PRAWN FLAMBE (Serves 2)

• 40 g butter
• 100 g mushrooms
• 200 g cooked prawns
• seasoning
• lemon juice
• nutmeg
• 1 onion
• 3 tablesp. brandy
• 150 ml double cream
• chopped parsley

Fry the chopped onions in butter, add the mushrooms and prawns and saute.

Season and then add lemon juice and nutmeg to taste.

Warm brandy in a ladle, ignite and pour flaming over the prawn mixture, rotating the pan to spread the flame.

When the flames are out, leave for 2-3 minutes over a gentle heat, add cream and boil until thick, ensuring contents are kept moving and the cream is well mixed in.

Serve with rice, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy with a dry or off-dry Kiwi Riesling. Done!