Rice pudding and pumpkin

Pumpkin risotto is a widespread autumnal dish in Italy, particularly in Lombardy and Veneto. It embraces the sweet and enveloping flavors of pumpkin, which marry perfectly with the creamy texture of risotto. Here is the classic Italian recipe for preparing a delicious pumpkin risotto.

Ingredients

• 320 g of risotto rice (such as arborio, carnaroli, or vialone nano)
• 400 g of cleaned pumpkin
• 1 and a half liters of vegetable broth
• 1 small onion
• 50 g of butter
• 100 ml of dry white wine
• 80 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Begin by cleaning the pumpkin, removing the skin and inner seeds, and cutting it into small cubes.
2. Prepare a sauté with finely chopped onion in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. When the onion is golden, add the pumpkin cubes and let them soften for a few minutes.
3. Add the rice and toast for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the grains become translucent.
4. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate.
5. Start adding the hot vegetable broth one ladleful at a time, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.
6. Continue cooking the risotto, adding broth and stirring frequently.
7. At about 18-20 minutes, when the rice is cooked but still al dente, remove from heat and cream with butter and grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Adjust the salt and pepper and let the risotto rest for a minute before serving.

The addition of aromatic herbs such as sage can further enrich the dish. If you desire a vegetarian dish, make sure that the broth used is free of meat or meat extracts.

Curiosity

In some variants of the recipe, a portion of the cooked pumpkin can be blended to create a cream to add to the risotto to make it even creamier. Also, in Veneto it’s quite common to add toasted pumpkin seeds at the end of preparation as decoration and to add a crunch.