Once again, I dedicate a recipe to the absolute star of autumn. Of course, I’m talking about her majesty “the pumpkin“. Thanks to this wonderful ingredient, we can make so many dishes, although I absolutely prefer it when used in a risotto.

Here, that’s exactly the case! A fantastic super creamy risotto with few ingredients but with an amazing result. I took just about an hour to prepare it from start to finish without too many steps.

I started by cutting the pumpkin, then once it was stewed for a few minutes with some onion, I blended it to create a fabulous velvety cream. Finally, I cooked the risotto using, besides the pumpkin cream, a mix of frozen mushrooms and a simple broth of water, salt, and turmeric.

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Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Slow fire
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn

Ingredients

For Pumpkin and Mushroom Risotto

2 1/2 cups diced pumpkin
2 white onions
to taste extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp turmeric
2 1/2 cups Roma rice
3 oz white wine
2 cups frozen mixed mushrooms
to taste grated pecorino cheese

Tools

Pots
Immersion blender

Steps

To make Pumpkin and Mushroom Risotto

Start by taking part of the pumpkin and removing all the strings and seeds from the inside. Use a spoon to “scoop” the flesh to make this operation easier.
Then cut the pumpkin into slices about 3/4 inch thick and remove the skin. Finally, dice the slices into more or less irregular cubes.
At this point, start preparing the broth, a fundamental part for the success of the risotto. Put about 2 liters of water in a pot and add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric. Turn on the heat and keep the broth warm throughout the recipe.
For this step, chop 2 onions and sauté for a few minutes in a pot with some extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced pumpkin and 1 glass of water. Cook for about 10 minutes with the lid on over medium heat.
When the pumpkin becomes soft enough, turn off the heat and blend everything with an immersion blender to create a smooth and creamy texture.
Continue by taking a saucepan and heating some extra virgin olive oil. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes, stirring, and finally add a small cup of white wine to deglaze. Stir until the alcohol has completely evaporated.
Then, add all the pumpkin cream to the rice and, after mixing, also add the frozen mixed mushrooms. Mix all the ingredients well before proceeding to the final steps.
To finish cooking the risotto, add one ladle of hot broth at a time, stirring continuously over medium heat. Add more ladles of broth as the liquid gets absorbed by the rice until it’s well-cooked. Finally, stir in some pecorino cheese with the heat off.
Finally, plate a portion of risotto and garnish with some chives and more pecorino cheese if you prefer.