Yellow pumpkin risotto is a traditional first course of the autumn season, coinciding with the production of this precious vegetable.
There are countless uses of pumpkin in the kitchen, but it is in risottos that it, in my opinion, gives its best.
You get a delicate yet tasty, creamy, and delightful risotto, to which I add an extra touch by placing some strips of sautéed speck and fried pumpkin on top of the serving plate.
This, however, only serves to create a nice contrast between the saltiness of the speck and the sweetness of the pumpkin without ever covering the goodness of this risotto, which is already well-defined in taste on its own.
In this regard, don’t neglect to use a sweet pumpkin, as it is precisely it that gives flavor to the dish.
Follow my simple recipe and see how delicious it is!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 21 oz diced pumpkin (+ 3 oz of pumpkin for the final decoration)
- 1 1/4 cups risotto rice
- 1 3/4 oz onion (dried)
- 3/4 oz smoked speck
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 3/4 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste sunflower oil for frying
- to taste salt
- to taste ground black pepper
Tools
- Pan non-stick
- Pot large
- Immersion Blender
Preparation
To prepare the yellow pumpkin risotto, first, let’s fry very thin slices of pumpkin, which we will then place on absorbent paper and salt immediately after removing them from the heat.
On a cutting board, cut the smoked speck into strips and then lightly sauté it in a non-stick pan without adding oil.
Set aside.
Next, clean the pumpkin by removing the outer skin, filaments, and seeds.
Cut into chunks.
Cook with a little water in a semi-covered saucepan and bring to a boil.
When the pumpkin is soft, turn off the heat and blend it in the same saucepan with an immersion blender.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, sauté the finely chopped onion with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and when it turns golden, add the rice.
Stir for a few minutes to toast it and then add the white wine.
Keep stirring until it evaporates, then add the pumpkin puree, leaving aside a few spoonfuls for the final decoration.
Add a little hot water, but prefer to add it gradually as needed, to avoid ending up with watery rice instead of creamy.
Cook, stirring constantly.
Turn off the heat when the rice is al dente.Now stir in the grated Parmesan and then plate it.
If you want to spend a moment on presentation, you can place a tuft of blended pumpkin (adding a pinch of salt first) in the center of the plate and create a kind of wreath around it with strips of speck and halved slices of fried pumpkin.
Then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of black pepper.
Our yellow pumpkin risotto is now ready to be enjoyed.
Storage
Keep well sealed in the fridge for a couple of days.
Keep well sealed in the fridge for a couple of days.
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To view the recommended products click here.
