Pumpkin Risotto

Happy Fall! If you couldn't tell by the lower temperatures and the changing leaves, you can definitely see the change in the grocery store. The baking pumpkins are back! I thought I'd do something different with pumpkin; most recipes are for pie or bread, which are great but sadly not dinner.

If you read enough food blogs you’ll have read at some point how hard it is to make a good risotto. Well I’m here to tell you it’s not that hard, it just takes some time (total prep time: about 2 hours, including roasting the pumpkin). And since it's fall I have a really awesome recipe for pumpkin risotto with sage chicken. I know this looks like a lot of ingredients but it’s a really great fall food that you can make ahead of time. 

            

This recipe got two thumbs up from the husband while reaching for a second helping. That's all I can ask for!

 

1 C chopped onion

1 to 2 teaspoons butter

1 C Arborio Rice

1 whole baking pumpkin – ½ chopped and baked; ½ pureed

Vegetable oil

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Thyme

Fresh sage leaves

Salt

Pepper

4 to 5 C chicken stock

Chicken or turkey parts (breast, thigh, leg, whatever you’ve got around) enough to make the meal a little more hearty.

½ c parmesan cheese

 

Cut pumpkin in half. Peel both halves. Chop one half into ½ inch pieces, coat with vegetable oil, sprinkle with nutmeg, sage, and cinnamon. Spread out pieces on a baking sheet and bake at 325 until they begin to brown a little bit and soften, they should be cooked through. Coat the 2^nd half of the pumpkin with vegetable oil and bake at 325 until it begins to soften. Puree and set aside (I used my stick blender, yay).

Bring a 2 to 4 qt stock pot (I like cast iron for this) to medium heat and sauté onion in butter until it is fragrant and start to soften. 

Add 1 C chicken stock to the stock pot and bring to a simmer. Add the Arborio rice. Stir pretty regularly, you don’t need to stand over the pot but come back every 2 or three minutes. Cook until the liquid has almost completely absorbed. Add 1 more cup of stock. Cook again until the liquid is gone. Stir in pumpkin puree, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper (all to taste). Add another cup of chicken stock. Cook until the liquid has absorbed. Continue to add chicken stock until the rice is cooked and creamy. It should be pretty thick and gooey. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Add the chopped baked pumpkin and pulled chicken (no need to remove the sage, add it all in together). Stir. Serve with extra parmesan. 

 

This is a great thick hearty stick to your ribs kind of meal. Every bite is full of autumnal, earthy, pumpkin flavor.