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Risotto with Pumpkin, Chestnuts, and Gorgonzola

17/11/2023

I can provide you with the recipe for a delicious risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts, and gorgonzola, which is a blue cheese similar to zola. It’s an autumnal dish that encapsulates the tastes and colors of the season.

Ingredients

  • 320 g of risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
  • 400 g of cleaned and diced pumpkin
  • 150 g of precooked and peeled chestnuts
  • 100 g of gorgonzola cheese
  • Approximately 1 liter of vegetable broth
  • 1 small onion
  • 50 g of butter
  • 100 ml of dry white wine
  • grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Begin by preparing the vegetable broth and keeping it warm on a stove.
  2. In a large pan, sauté the finely chopped onion in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until it becomes translucent.
  3. Add the pumpkin cubes and let them sauté for a few minutes, then add the rice and toast it until the grains become slightly translucent.
  4. Deglaze the rice with the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
  5. Continue cooking the risotto by gradually adding the broth, one ladle at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Meanwhile, if the chestnuts are not already cooked and peeled, score them, boil in water until they are soft, and then peel them.
  7. Halfway through cooking the rice, add the chestnuts to the risotto.
  8. When the rice is almost done but still al dente, add the gorgonzola cut into small cubes and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
  9. Remove the risotto from the heat, add the butter, and a generous handful of grated Parmesan to cream it. Cover with a lid and let it rest for a few minutes.
  10. Serve warm, with a grinding of fresh pepper if desired.

Curiosity

The risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts, and gorgonzola is a dish that combines sweetness, earthy flavors, and a pungent note given by the blue cheese. Gorgonzola, which takes its name from the eponymous town in Lombardy, can vary in flavor intensity, depending on whether you choose the mild or spicy version, allowing you to personalize the dish according to your taste.

Bon appétit!