The Return of the Pumpkin

Pumpkin risotto, i hear you say. Well if you are a person that cooks in season you better have a few recipes for pumpkins over the next few weeks because they are everywhere. And here is one with a bit of difference.
Don't be afraid to make risotto, most people shy away when they see a recipe for one, be confident and say to yourself i am going to make a tasty dish tonight. As long as you stand over it and stir the rice with a little bit of respect it will work out fine, by the way you will need a glass of wine in your hand while doing so.


Serves 6

1-1.3 litres of light chicken stock or vegetable stock
50g butter
2 tablesp of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
400g risotto rice
1 glass of white wine
70g of freshly grated Parmesan risotto
6 tblsp of pumpkin puree
6 tblsp of finely dice pumpkin (raw)
2tblsp of chopped sage
Salt and pepper

First bring the stock to the boil. Melt half the butter in a heavy saucepan with the oil and add the onions. Sweat gently for 4 minutes not leaving the onion get any colour. Add the rice and coat in the butter and oil, cook for 1-2 minutes and then add 150ml of the hot stock and the white wine, stir continuously and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml of stock. Add in the raw finely diced pumpkin at this stage.
Continue to cook, stirring continuously. The heat should be brisk but not too high. The risotto should take about 25 minutes to cook.
After about fifteen minutes, reduce the additions of stock to about 4 tblsp at a time. The risotto is done when the rice is cooked but still ‘al dente’. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick and dry. At this point stir in the pumpkin puree, the remaining butter and Parmesan cheese, taste for salt and pepper and at the very last moment add the chopped sage. Serve at once.

Q. Tip: This can be served as a main meal with some salad or try it with a little bit of pan fried Cod, delicious.......