pumpkin risotto

Fall is approaching friends. I was able to get my hands on a good sized pumpkin this past Sunday. No, not a butternut squash but an actual, Charlie Brownesque, Tennese Vol's colored pumpkin. I love the cool, crisp air, the tasty apples and the start of college football but a pumpkin to me is one of fall's great triumphs. It's versatile, delicious and nutritious. Nutty/buttery, sweet, full of beta-carotene and low in calories. It truly is an amazing vegetable.

I decided to use the pumpkin in 3 different ways. A risotto, soup and I roasted the seeds to snack on later. Today, I'll be sharing with you the pumpkin risotto adapted from Gordon Ramsay.

I adapted this recipe from Gordon's F Word. I loved how he incorporated the pumpkin into the risotto by making a puree, roasting it and combining it with peppery arugula at the end. A delicious, colorful and comforting dish that's perfect for the chilly autumn nights to come.

Pumpkin Risotto

Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's F Word

Ingredients: (Puree)

- 3 cups pumpkin, diced

- 2 tablespoons of butter

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

1) Add olive oil and butter to a hot pan. After the butter has melted, add the diced pumpkins to the pan.

2) Cover the pumpkins with aluminum foil to cook faster while concentrating the flavor. Don't cover the entire pan but just roughly cover the top of the diced pumpkins.

3) Once the pumpkins are tender, about 7 - 10 minutes, add the pumpkin and its juices to a blender and blitz into a smooth puree. Leave the puree aside until needed.

Ingredients: (Roasted Pumpkin)

- 2 cups pumpkin, diced

- 1 tablespoon butter

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1) Melt the butter and oil in a hot pan and add the pumpkins with the thyme sprigs.

2) Saute the diced pumpkins over medium heat until colored and tender. About 10 minutes.

3) Set aside until needed.

Ingredients: (Risotto)

- 1 cup arborio or risotto rice

- 3 to 3.5 cups chicken stock, simmering

- 1 shallot, finely diced

- 0.25 cup white wine

- 2 cups diced, roasted pumpkin

- 1 ladlefull pumpkin puree

- 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 cup arugula

- 1 tablespoon butter

1) Add olive oil to a hot pan and add the shallots. Season with salt/pepper and saute until lightly caramelized. About 3 minutes.

2) Add rice to the same pan and coat the grains of rice with the oil for about 2 minutes.

3) Deglaze with the white wine and then reduce.

4) Add enough simmering chicken stock to cover the rice. Add more stock once the stock has been almost completely absorbed by the rice, stirring the mixture frequently. About 20 minutes.

5) Add the pumpkin puree and stir in to incorporate.

6) After the puree has incorporated and given the risotto a great color, season risotto with Parmesan cheese.

7) Keep cooking the risotto until al dente. The bright white grain of the rice should still be present in the rice. Once the bright white grain disappears, it's been overcooked and is no longer al dente.

8) Stir in the butter and arugula right before serving and pour risotto onto plates.

9) Add a few slices of sliced Parmesan cheese and serve.

________________________________________

The pumpkin soup and the seeds recipe will be posted probably tomorrow. If something's on the blog isn't working due to the name change, please bring that to my attention so I can fix it.

Also, big thanks to Terry from Blue Kitchen for giving me some quick pointers on taking better photographs. No longer will my pictures be orange and halogenated. Here's a quick sample from the exact same kitchen with the same lights:

Trivia: who knows what this is and what it'll be used for?