Roasted Pumpkin Risotto

Sorry about the lack of updates for the past couple of weeks. I've been back to work full time so the content may be coming out at a slower stream for the next couple to few months. Nonetheless, here is a simple and tasty fall recipe.

If you're new to making risotto it's fairly simple once you get the hang of it. You're basically just cooking risotto rice slowly in stock until it's cooked, which normally takes around 17-20 min. No, you cannot use any kind of rice. The most common rice used for risotto is arborio, which is widely in supermarkets around the country.

Like pasta, you can add whatever the heck you want to your risotto. Once you get the hang of it, the options are endless! There's something fun about cooking it too, from sweating off the shallots and garlic, adding the rice and toasting it, then deglassing the pan with white wine and getting all those beautiful aromas...ahhh it's fantastic!

Mushrooms...man I wish I had the money for some really good wild mushrooms right now, but any mushroom will do. I used cremini mushrooms and they were fine. A mix of shiitake, chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms would definitely take it to another level, especially if you made your own mushroom stock.

Sadly, I did not have the time or money for that, but I promise in the future I will make an ultimate mushroom risotto and do just that..

For your stock, homemade is definitely the best but if you don't have any on hand a really good quality stock (reduced sodium or unsalted) will be just fine. You could use a vegetable stock to make this dish vegetarian, or use chicken stock which I generally like the flavor of better.

Whichever you use though, make sure to infuse your stock with a couple cloves of garlic, thyme, and maybe even a couple pinches of red chili flake. The stock is what the risotto will simmer in so you really want to give it a lot of flavor and depth.

Also, please make sure the stock is warm and not room temperature or cold. If you start adding room temperature or cold stock to the risotto while it's cooking then it won't cook as fast or evenly. I always keep it simmering and have it on the burner next to the risotto so I can easily just ladle it on over.

When cooking risotto just basically add a ladle of stock whenever the stock is nearly evaporated from the pan. You don't want to add too much, just a little at a time. Contrary to popular belief, you also don't have to stir the risotto the entire time. It can chill out a little bit, but definitely make sure to stir it every once in a while to make sure it cooks evenly, and that the stock evaporates evenly as well.

If you follow those basic steps, cooking risotto is simple and stress free.

Ingredients: (serves 2-3)

• 1 small sugar or cooking pumpkin
• Arborio rice
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Fresh thyme
• White wine
• 32oz of a good quality chicken or vegetable stock (reduced or no sodium)
• Sage
• Mushrooms of your choice (clean them with a damp paper towel or quickly rinse them)
• Butter
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Parmesan cheese (the good stuff)

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Slice open your pumpkin carefully, scoop out the seeds and stringy parts (reserve seeds to toast them later for a snack). Quarter the pumpkin halves and season with salt, olive oil, thyme, garlic, and sage. Place the quarted pumpkin slices onto a halfsheet pan and bake for 35-45 min until skin is easy to pull off. Once the skin is peeled off then go ahead and cut up your roasted pumpkin into pieces.
2. Add stock to a small pot and add 2 cloves of garlic, pinch of salt and pepper, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and simmer to become warm.
3. Get a pan going on medium-low heat. Add olive oil and a small pad of butter, then add chopped shallots to the pan. Sweat the shallots off for 5-8 minutes, being careful not to add color to them. After the shallots have been sweated off, add chopped garlic and a little bit of chopped thyme. Cook for 30-40 seconds.
4. Add your arborio rice to the pan. I always use about a handful of rice per person, maybe even a little more if you're hungry. Let the rice cook and toast for about a minute. Then add a good splash of dry white wine. Let the wine boil away and let the liquid reduce.
5. Once wine has nearly evaporated add in your mushrooms and stir for a bit. Now add in a ladle of stock. Once the stock reduces and evaporates, add in your roasted pumpkin, a few sage leaves, and a few sprigs of thyme.
6. Add in another ladle of stock and let it reduce and evaporate, whilst giving the risotto a good stir once in a while so it doesn't stick to the pan and burn. Keep adding stock little by little so it reduces. When you don't see a lot of liquid in the pan, then add a ladle of stock. Just add, reduce, then add stock again until the risotto is cooked to your liking. I like mine al dente and that can take anywhere from 17-20 min. It really just depends.
7. Once risotto is cooked add a couple pads of butter and a nice grating of parmesan cheese to the pan. Cover pan with lid and let it sit off the heat for a couple of minutes. Add to bowls or plates, garnish with parmesan wedges and some sage leaves with a small drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil at the end. Enjoy!!