Easy Pumpkin Risotto

Risotto, traditional peasant food, is a dish that was made with what was in season. And at the moment, I have pumpkins coming out the wah-zoo. They grew everywhere in the garden, a large variety of different heirloom pumpkins of all different shapes, colours and textures. A real feast for the eyes! So, as a way of slowly using up some of my huge stash of pumpkins, I’m going to make an Easy Pumpkin Risotto.

To impart a maximum amount of flavour in the risotto, I like to double-do, or even triple-do the hero vegetable. By this I mean I add a portion of cooked pumpkin to my stock, and I also add some diced pumpkin to the soffritto portion of the risotto before I add the rice. To triple-do the pumpkin, I add some roasted pumpkin slices/pieces at the end, on top of the risotto to finish it off. This creates a real depth of flavour. You can also do this with other types of risotto such as mushroom and beetroot.

To start our Easy Pumpkin Risotto, I microwaved some diced pumpkin until it was soft and cooked through (you could also use up any leftover roast pumpkin here). Add it to a blender along with some vegetable or chicken stock and blitz until smooth. I like to use a powdered stock with some hot water from the kettle, add the cooked pumpkin and puree. Having a hot stock ready to go ensures the risotto is brought to the boil quickly.

Next, finely dice an onion, two celery stalks and a carrot and add to a large pan along with a good amount of olive oil. Place over a medium-high heat and sauté for about 5 minutes or so. Add a handful or two of diced pumpkin and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.

Once the vegetables have a nice amount of colour, add around a cup of Arborio rice to the pan and stir to coat in the oil and vegetable mix. If there isn’t enough oil to “glisten” the rice, add some more olive oil until it’s well coated.

Now it’s time to add the stock mix. None of this ladling-one-cup-at-a-time business. Pffft, I don’t have time for that! Pour it all in at once - the whole lot! Once it’s brought back to the boil, turn it down to a medium heat and let it blip away. After about 10 minutes, give it a little stir and then keep an eye on it for another 6-10 minutes or until it’s al dente, stirring occasionally. If it starts to look a little dry, add some hot water to loosen it up. You’re looking for a consistency that will relax onto the plate.

While this is cooking, prepare the pumpkin to top the risotto with. Cut a few slices of pumpkin, about 5mm thick. To save on dishes, I like to cook these in the sandwich press. It works brilliantly as it has a top and bottom plate, so it cooks both sides at the same time. Simply line the sandwich press with a little baking paper, add the slices of pumpkin, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with a little more baking paper, lower the press and cook until gorgeously golden and cooked through.

Now we’re up to the fun bit. Finishing it off. Add about 100g of salted butter, half a cup of grated parmesan, and 1-2 tablespoons of homemade Worcestershire sauce. This is my sauce-fixer and adds amazing flavour. Give it a good stir and check the seasoning.

Time to plate up. Ladle your risotto on the plate and top with the toasted pumpkin slices, and if you like, some toasted pepita (pumpkin) seeds. This adds a lovely bit of colour and some gorgeous crunch to the risotto. This recipe should feed around 4-6 people.

You can download a free copy of this recipe using the button below. You can also check out my YouTube video for step-by-step instructions for this Easy Pumpkin Risotto recipe. I hope you give this a go. xx