Today we are talking about one of the most classic risottos, namely the one with pumpkin. It is a very easy, light, vegetarian, and gluten-free dish. It is a tasty, fragrant risotto made with a very fragrant pumpkin, with a sweet taste and firm, compact, and not very fibrous flesh. Pumpkin risotto is a versatile first course, which can be enriched and customized and prepared for Sunday lunch, everyday cooking, but also for an important occasion, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and so on, thanks to its elegance and the refinement of the taste.
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring, Valentine's Day
Ingredients
- 6 1/3 cups water
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 9 oz Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 9 oz pumpkin (weighed after cleaning)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch curry
- 2 tablespoons aged grated Pecorino cheese (optional)
- to taste freshly chopped parsley
- 1 pinch fresh or powdered chili pepper (optional)
Steps
To make this delicate and light risotto, we will use dry toasting which does not involve using butter or oil for the initial sautéing of the rice.
I chose to use very aged and savory Pecorino cheese to finish our risotto to counteract the sweetness of the pumpkin I used, creating a good balance of flavors and aromas.
Let’s start by preparing the broth for the risotto. Wash and peel the carrot, onion, and celery. Cut them into not too small pieces and add them to the water that we will have placed in a pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes at most, at low heat with a lid. The broth must always be boiling when we add it to the risotto.
Now let’s prepare the pumpkin. Remove the outer skin, any seeds, and fibers. Cut it into small cubes and rinse them under running water, letting them drain well. You can use the pumpkin you like most or that you already have available.
.Prepare the risotto. Heat over low heat, on the medium stove, a low, wide, non-stick pan.
When the pan is hot, increase the heat, add the rice (without adding any fats or dressings) and let it toast, stirring it a couple of times, until it becomes hot even on the surface (a few minutes).
When the rice is hot, slowly, carefully pour in a first ladle of boiling broth (beware of splashing, as only at this stage might the liquid splash, so I highly recommend pouring it carefully, stirring slowly).
When we have almost completely absorbed the first ladle of broth into the rice, add the pumpkin cubes, pour in the wine, and stir.
Stirring occasionally, wait for the alcohol to evaporate, then add salt and more broth, as the previous one has almost completely dried up. The broth should never dry up completely.
We will add less and less broth as the risotto reaches cooking.
Taste and when the risotto is al dente, turn it off, remove it from the heat, add the pinch of curry (which goes great with pumpkin), the pinch of chili pepper or freshly ground white pepper, the aged Pecorino cheese (if you like), a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, stir, cover and let it rest for up to two minutes.
Before serving, finish with a handful of chopped parsley, mix it into the risotto, and serve immediately.
Bon appetit
