Creamy risotto layer cake

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil 
• 300 g shallots thinly sliced chopped
• 2  garlic clove crushed
• 500 g arborio rice (we used arborio)
• 200 ml wine 
• 50 g butter 
• 100 g pecorino cheese itlaian-style finely grated (we used Twineham Grange cheese)
• 1 large butternut squash peeled cut into small cubes ( 1.2kg 2lb 10oz unprepped weight)
• 200 g honey roughly chopped
• 100 g pinenuts toasted
• 1 small bunch sage chopped
• 2 sprigs rosemary finely chopped
• 2  cabbage (you only need the outside leaves)
• 250 g mascarpone cheese 
• 1.2  vegetable stock hot

Equipment

• frying pan
• ladle
• oven
• baking pan
• roasting pan
• cake form
• aluminum foil
• microwave

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the chopped shallots over a low heat for 10 mins until well softened.
2. Add the garlic, cook for another min, then tip in the rice. Stir the rice until coated in the oil, and keep stirring until the grains are really hot and starting to hiss.
3. Pour in the wine and stir. Once its almost all been absorbed, start adding the stock, a ladle at a time, allowing each ladleful to absorb before adding the next. Stir in a good knob of butter and 25g of the vegetarian Parmesan and season to taste. Tip onto a large baking tray and spread out so that it cools quickly (see Know-how, below). Once cool, keep covered in the fridge. Can be cooked and cooled up to 2 days ahead.
4. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas
5. Tip the squash into a roasting pan. Toss with 1 tbsp oil and roast for about 30 mins until softened and golden, turning it occasionally. Meanwhile, melt another knob of butter in a frying pan, add 1 tbsp oil, then fry the sliced shallots until softened and dark golden, about 15 mins. Stir in the chestnuts, pine nuts and herbs, season, then cook for another 2 mins until heated through.
6. Mix with the roasted squash. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
7. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
8. Remove any tough outer leaves from the cabbage, then separate the large green leaves from the heads. Youll need about 1
9. Blanch for 2 mins or until just tender, then plunge into cold water and drain.
10. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with cling film (or, if reheating in the oven, just butter the tin liberally), then line with most of the cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly and leaving an overhanging edge.
11. Mix the remaining vegetarian Parmesan and the mascarpone together, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Spoon half the risotto into the tin (if youve chilled the risotto overnight, itll need breaking up a little with a fork), then top with the squash mix. Spoon the mascarpone mix over the top, then finish with a second layer of risotto, pressing in firmly.
12. Fold the overhanging edges of the cabbage over the risotto and then seal it in with the remaining leaves. Cover with the overhanging cling film; weight down with a dinner plate. Can be made up to 2 days ahead (if risotto is cooked, cooled and layered on the day).
13. To reheat, turn the cake (still in its cling film) out of the tin onto a microwave-proof plate and cook on Medium for 10 mins or until piping hot throughout. (Microwaving will give you the best results as it keeps the cabbage green and vibrant.) To reheat in the oven, leave the cake in its tin, cover with buttered foil and heat for 30 mins at 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 until hot through.