Pumpkin risotto, is one of the typical dishes of Italian cuisine, especially in the autumn period when we have many varieties of pumpkins readily available. It is a simple risotto to prepare, very creamy and rich in flavor, made with a few ingredients that are easily found in our kitchens.
We start with a base of pumpkin and onion to which we add the rice and gradually the vegetable broth, only at the end do we add a small piece of butter for flavor and Parmesan cheese for serving.
Cooking is quite fast, just let the pumpkin wilt with the onion, add the rice and cook it for the minutes indicated on the package.
Pumpkin risotto is excellent consumed as soon as it’s ready because it remains very soft and creamy, but if you have leftovers, you can easily reheat it in a pan by adding more vegetable broth, and it will be perfect again.
Among the traditional first courses of Italian cuisine, I also like to remember
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
The main ingredient of this dish is pumpkin, rich in many properties that it retains even when cooked.
- 14 oz pumpkin
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 glass white wine
- 1 3/4 cups Roma rice
- 28 oz vegetable broth
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese
- 1 oz butter
- 1 quart water
- 1/2 onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- 2 tomatoes
- to taste coarse salt
Tools
To cut the pumpkin into small pieces well, I recommend a good smooth-bladed kitchen knife and a cutting board, for cooking the risotto, you need a good non-stick saucepan.
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Saucepan 24 cm diameter
Preparation
The preparation of the vegetable broth can be done in advance and you can keep it in the refrigerator until needed.
Let’s start by preparing a very simple but flavorful vegetable broth, put the water in a high-sided saucepan and add the coarsely chopped onion, celery, carrot, and tomatoes, of course all previously washed and cleaned. Add the coarse salt, cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat, when the water boils lower the heat a bit and let the broth simmer for at least 30 minutes, always covered.
Meanwhile, clean the pumpkin by removing the skin and seeds, wash it under running water and cut it into rather small pieces, about a half-inch. Cut the onion, place it in the pan with the oil and let it brown over medium heat.
When the onion is golden, add the pumpkin, salt and pepper to your liking, cover with the lid and let the pumpkin brown over medium heat
When the pumpkin is well browned and its natural juice is reducing, add half a glass of white wine, lower the heat a little and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
After a few minutes of cooking with the wine, you will see that the pumpkin will be nice and soft; this is the time to add the rice, stir and let it cook for about a couple of minutes, making sure it does not stick to the bottom.
When the rice becomes dry, start adding a ladle of broth, stir and continue cooking following the minutes indicated on the rice package. Add a ladle of broth each time you see the rice becoming dry. When you reach the right cooking minutes, turn off the heat and add the necessary broth for the last time to make it soft and creamy again.
When you turn off the heat, you can add the Parmesan cheese and butter directly to the pan, stir and serve. To your liking, add a thin layer of Parmesan cheese to each plate, but you can skip it; the flavor will still be nice and intense.
NOTES
Pumpkin risotto, as mentioned before, is delicious as soon as it is ready because it remains soft and creamy, so I recommend serving it immediately after making it.
If for various reasons you have leftovers, do not waste it, put it in the refrigerator covered, and reheat it in a non-stick pan adding vegetable broth.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which pumpkin should be used?
Personally, I used the Hokkaido pumpkin, which I find perfect in the kitchen for various preparations, but you can use any type of pumpkin while maintaining the same procedure.
Is the entire pumpkin edible?
No, I recently discovered that there are pumpkins that are only ornamental and cannot be eaten; otherwise, they would cause gastrointestinal problems. Decorative pumpkins should not be sold in the produce section, but it happens that they are, and they are simply marked with a sign “decorative pumpkins,” so if you have doubts, ask the seller to confirm that the pumpkin you will use for the risotto is edible.
