Pumpkin Risotto for Fall!
Fall is in full swing! Our grocery stores are brimming with pumpkins ready to be carved and cooked. I personally like mine cooked, but carving is fun, too. Pumpkins are a great foundation for the hearty foods needed to get through the blustery days of Autumn. From creamy soups to gnocchi, pumpkin is a “go to” ingredient for bringing fall tastes to the dinner table. There is a cornucopia of great cooking opportunities with pumpkin. One I truly like is Pumpkin Risotto. There are other ways to make risotto, but pumpkin adds a nice twist to a classic dish.
Pumpkin Risotto with canned or fresh?
What’s nice about cooking pumpkin is that you can roast your own or use canned. Roasting a pumpkin is as simple as cutting it in half and baking it. Plus, if you do roast your own, the seeds make a great snack or addition to soups and salads. The canned is a nice fall back when there just isn’t time. And, if you have a hankering for pumpkin off season, no worries! Either way, you are assured great pumpkin dishes.
When I make my pumpkin risotto, I like to add a bit of mascarpone cheese. With this addition the sweetness of the pumpkin is given a richness that can not be beat. Even without the mascarpone, the roasted notes and sweetness are delicious carried by the arborio rice. It is a nice dish and ever so easy to make. You can use whatever stock to broth you like. I whisk together vegetable stock and pumpkin flesh to make a pumpkin stock of sorts. You could use just vegetable stock, too and just stir in small pieces of roasted pumpkin at the end, up to you!
Here is how I do my Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with Mascarpone!
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 3/4 lb roasted pumpkin flesh (or canned) About 1 small pumpkin’s worth
- 5 cups of vegetable broth
- 2/3 cup of a slightly dry white wine – like a Riesling
- 3/4 lb arborio rice
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese plus more to garnish
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- Dice the sweet onion.
- In a sauce pan, heat the vegetable broth with a simmer. Add the pumpkin flesh and whisk well. This is your pumpkin stock.
- In another sauce pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion to the olive oil and cook until soft and translucent.
- Add the rice to the onions. Cook five minutes.
- Add the wine and allow the wine to simmer.
- When the wine is mostly absorbed and syrupy add 1/2 cup of pumpkin stock. Mix well. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Continue to add stock, stirring occasionally, as each previous addition is absorbed. Keep adding stock until the risotto is al dente or to your liking.
- When the risotto is to your liking, add the nutmeg and mascarpone cheese. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot in a soup bowl. Add a dollop of mascarpone cheese for garnish.
I hope you enjoy!!
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