Pumpkin risotto, the ultimate autumn dish...

If like me you stocked up on too many pumpkins for Halloween and now you have one left over, I have just the recipe here which will save the day. I made this for family a few weeks ago and it was so popular that the entire casserole dish I made was all eaten in one sitting.There I was thinking that there would be enough left over for me to make arancini the next day, too! 

I know that risotto is a recipe which many people find daunting, but honestly it is easier to make than you may imagine and I am so glad that I have mastered making my own risotto because it is a dish which I love to order when I go out for dinner. The trick is to add the liquid stock little by little, stir often and repeat until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice and you have a nice creamy risotto. It is a game of patience! 

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 medium pumpkin peeled, de-seeded and diced in to cubes (roughly 400g/14oz)

4 tbsp olive oil

2-3 teaspoons of garlic purée to taste 

30g butter

200g risotto rice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 litre hot vegetable stock, plus extra splash if needed

Few tablespoons of dry white wine

Grated parmesan, to serve 

Method:

I like to prep first to save rushing around, so first off peel, de-seed and dice your pumpkin into chunks and peel and dice your onion. Preheat the oven to about 200c (adjust for fan oven). Place the pumpkin chunks in to a large roasting tin and drizzle with about 3tbsp olive oil, then roast for 30-35 minutes until the pumpkin chunks are softened. 

For the risotto, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Fry the diced onion and garlic until the onion is softened and then add the rice, stirring well until the rice is combined with the onion and garlic mixture. Sprinkle in the cumin and stir well. 

Now, add a ladle of stock and stir regularly until all the stock has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat this method, adding the stock (and the wine) little by little and stirring until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked thoroughly. With a little patience, you will have the perfect, creamy risotto and this is a great base recipe to which you can add your preferred ingredients to create a whole host of risottos!

When the roasted pumpkin is ready, take it out of the oven and stir it gently in to the risotto. Serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan and some fresh basil if desired. 

There you have it, this is one recipe which is a treat rather than a trick. I love this during the autumn months and if you find it difficult to source pumpkins, you can also use roasted butternut squash instead.

What do you all think, do you like the sound of this hearty autumn pumpkin risotto and would you give this recipe a try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo