Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

 

 

As the light in our days slowly diminishes - boy did I feel that on this photo shoot, I ran out of daylight and had to take the last few shots virtually in the dark! - it's nice to bring a bit of brightness and color to our tables. Pumpkins are just the perfect shade of orange to liven up our cutting boards and give a warm glow to our prepared dishes - not to mention your skin! And of course with Halloween upon us, you can't help but want to make something à la pumpkin. So hear you go, a hardy dish inspired by my culinary days with Rouxbe, that is sure to make you want to stock up on pumpkins just to make it over and over again. Well that's what happens in our house.  Enjoy!

 

risotto ingredients

serves 2 to 4, depending on the size of your plates (in our house it serves 2!)

3 cups vegetable stock 

2 cups water

1/2 an onion finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup of a risotto variety rice (arborio and carnaroli are the most common types found at your local market)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

2 to 3 teaspoons white or black truffle oil to taste

sea salt to taste

white pepper to taste

 

pumpin purée ingredients

yields 4 cups

1 small sugar pumpkin (around 2 to 3 lbs in weight) peeled, deseeded and cubed - about 2 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin

1 cup cashews (soaked a minimum of 4 hours)

1/2 cup stock

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

 

Just a quick note and some tips before you venture on, especially for those of you new to making risotto. The trick to making a successful risotto is have your mise en place set up before you begin because once you add the rice to the sauté pan, you must be fully committed to standing in front of the stove for the remainder of the time it takes to prepare the dish. This is one of the reasons many chefs/cooks dislike making this Italian specialty - you can't multitask on this one unless you want a subpar risotto. That said, I find the patience it takes to continuously stir and nurse the rice to its creamy, al dente state quite therapeutic and centering.

 

 

Start by preparing the pumpkin. Once it is peeled, deseeded and cubed steam it for 15 minutes and then set aside. While the pumpkin is steaming set up the rest of your mise en place from the ingredients list above. Once the pumpkin has a cooled a bit, add all of the ingredients for the purée into a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. This purée will yield 2 batches (2 cups each), so if you are not making a double batch of risotto, store half of it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freeze for up to 6 months. Note - to save time, this purée can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

 

 

Place the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pan and set heat to medium low. In a separate pot add the stock and water and bring to a simmer.

 

 

Add the onions and a pinch of sea salt to the risotto pot and sweat until soft and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of the stock to soften the onions further. Let the cooking liquid completely evaporate before moving onto the next step.

Once the liquid has completely evaporated, turn the heat up to medium and add the rice to the soffritto of onion and olive oil, which coats each grain in a film of fat, called tostatura. Toast the rice for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the perimeter of the grains are translucent. Monitor the heat carefully so the aromatics do not burn. 

Once toasted, add the garlic and cook, stirring just until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds. Deglaze with the wine and stir the rice until the wine evaporates. Once the wine has evaporated, add one cup of the stock. Stir often to coax the starches out of the rice - this creates a smooth, creamy textured risotto. Once almost absorbed, add one cup of the pumpkin purée and continue to stir.

Once the purée thickens and reduces, go back to adding the stock 1 cup at a time - add the next ladle of liquid only when the last cup has been absorbed by the rice. You can keep a ladle next to the pot for easy transfer of the broth to the risotto. During the cooking process, make sure to adjust the heat so the risotto is always bubbling and remember to stir frequently.

Continue to add the stock and cook the risotto until it reaches the al dente stage - this will take between 20 to 30 minutes. Start tasting the rice for doneness once you are down to your last cup of stock. Just before the risotto is cooked, add the rest of the pumpkin purée to revive the orange color. Note - once the risotto reaches your preferred consistency, you may still have a bit of stock leftover. 

As soon as the risotto has cooked to your liking, season with a bit of sea salt, white pepper and truffle oil. Cover and let rest for a few minutes before serving. If the risotto has stiffened, feel free to add a bit more stock to reach your desired consistency. Give the risotto one last stir before plating. Garnish with fresh herbs, a bit more olive or truffle oil, sautéed vegetables or anything else you may have on hand. I love to pair this risotto with a buttery chardonnay.  

Note - properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite, al dente, and with separate grains. It is typically served on flat dishes and it should easily spread out but not have excess watery liquid around the perimeter. It must be eaten at once as it continues to cook in its own heat and can become too dry.

Buon appetito!

 

 

“My favorite word is 'pumpkin.' You are a pumpkin. Or you are not. I am.”

~ Harrison E. Salisbury

 

 

 

Comments

[Claudia]

This looks so good! Perfect for fall:)

[KESH]

It is and I love using fresh pumpkins any time I can! I hope you enjoy it. :)