Growing Chefs! Ontario Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto

You need to pay a lot of attention to the pan while cooking risotto, but once you have mastered the method you can make any other risotto you can dream of using other ingredients. Pumpkin is delicious in savoury applications, as well as sweet ones
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, cubed1 shallot, finely diced2 cups pumpkin, peeled and diced1/2 cup pumpkin puree2 cups arborio rice2 litres vegetable stock1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated1 cup ricotta cheese6 sage leaves, minced1 sprig thyme, minced Pinch fresh nutmeg Pepper to taste Salt to taste Olive oil
Equipment
Large frying pan, or shallow potMedium potWooden spoonMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsLadleSlotted spoonBowlsCutting baordChef's knifeScissorsPeelerDish towelTasting spoons

Get Organized!

Gather your mis en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Dice butter into 1 cm cubes.

Cut shallot from root to tip, and peel off the outer skin. Slice the shallot from tip to root, along the grain of the shallot, and then dice finely.

Peel pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and dice into 1 cm cubes.

Grate parmesan cheese.

Remove sage leaves from stem and chop finely.

Remove thyme leaves from stem and chop finely.

Measure ricotta and pumpkin puree into a bowl, and add a small pinch of nutmeg.

Measure vegetable stock into pot and heat over medium heat until simmering.

Get Cooking!

Turn the heat to medium and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the shallots, stirring frequently until translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and continue to cook over medium heat until the pumpkin begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add in the rice, sage, and thyme, and cook until the rice is translucent.

Add a couple ladles of stock to the pan, and stir the rice gently, to make sure that no ingredients are above the liquid.

As the stock is absorbed, continue adding about a ladleful of hot stock at a time, stirring once each time.

Keep adding stock until rice is al dente (just about cooked). Add one more addition of stock and cook until absorbed.

When stock is almost absorbed, stir through the butter, parmigiano reggiano, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together pumpkin puree and ricotta and season with salt to taste. Dot the ricotta pumpkin mixture on top of the risotto.