What’s cooking? Pumpkin Risotto

To be honest, I never was a big fan of pumpkin pie, but I do like pumpkin in other things. (Remember my pumpkin-truffle ravioli?). Personally, I think Americans neglect pumpkin as a “regular” food, relegating it to the dessert category. That’s a shame because besides being delicious, pumpkin is also very good for you. It’s low in calories, rich in potassium and also contains significant amounts of magnesium and iron. As you may be able to ascertain from its color, pumpkin is also loaded with beta-carotene, an important vitamin and anti-oxidant.

This time around, I’m making pumpkin risotto. I love it not only for the flavor, but also for the color. It may sound corny, but it’s like a plate of sunshine.

Anyway, since I had my fresh sage and some frozen pumpkin which I had pureed in the fall, I decided to cook some up. You could surely use canned pumpkin for this recipe – as long as it’s not the kind that already has pumpkin pie spices added to it. After all, that’s basically all my frozen pumpkin is. I just cut the pumpkin in half and scoop the seeds out. Then I bake it until the flesh is moist, scoop out the pulp and puree it in the food processor, freezing it in individual packets for use when I want.

So anyway, on with the recipe.

You’ll need:

1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
dash of nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups hot vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
salt to taste

To start, heat the vegetable broth in a saucepan and keep it simmering. In the meantime, heat the butter and oil over medium heat in another pan until the butter is melted. Once it is melted, add the onion and cook until it is translucent (don’t brown it). Once the onion is cooked, add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes, making sure to coat it with oil and butter. Now, add your white wine and stir well.

Once the wine has been soaked in, add a ladleful of the broth, stirring it into the rice and allowing it to soak in. Once it has soaked in, add your pumpkin to the pan, and stir well. Add another ladleful of broth, stirring again. Now add your minced sage and pinch of nutmeg (just a pinch or it will be too strong), along with another ladle full of broth, stirring well. Continue in this manner, adding a ladle full of broth at a time and stirring until the rice has been cooked. You may have some broth left over, or you may have to add some. It depends on how liquid your pumpkin puree is.

Remember though, you don’t want your rice to be too soft. It should be al dente, just like good pasta. You want to be able to actually feel like you have something between your teeth.

Once your rice is cooked, now it’s time to add the parmigiano cheese. Stir well to make sure it is mixed in well with the risotto. Now taste and add salt if necessary. I leave this for last because parmigiano cheese adds a little salt as well, so it’s best to add the actual salt afterwards in order to not end up with an overly salty dish.

Serve and enjoy!

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