Baked Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

Prep time:  15 mins.  Cook time:  35 mins.  Total time:  50 mins.  Serves:  4

There are several ways to cook this tasty dish.  The pumpkin can be cooked to an aldente, so it remains in tact within the risotto, or cooked to a mush so that when stirred it becomes a pumpkin sauce in the risotto.  I like to bake the pumpkin to soft (extra taste) and add it in the mix just 10 minutes before the risotto is done and then stir it in with the parmesan et al, so that it is saucy with a few very soft chunks.  I generally start baking the pumpkin while setting up the rest of the ingredients.  Cooking the pumpkin until soft and stirring it in as a sauce, makes the risotto quite creamy like stove top cooked risotto.

If hands on time time is not on your side and you are not overly fussy, just throw everything into a heavy oven proof pot and bake for 70 minutes and enjoy a wine..  It will still come out great!

This dish is easily turned into vegan by using a vegetable butter and nutritional yeast in lieu of butter and parmesan cheese.


Ingredients:

Ingredients - Garlic is behind the onion :-)

    2 tbsp olive oil

    1 large brown onion, finely diced or 1 large leak thinly sliced crossways

    2 garlic cloves, minced

    12 sage leaves

    2 cups arborio rice (risotto rice)

    1 cup dry white wine or use stock/water

    5 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth

    700g/25oz pumpkin, diced into 1.5cm/0.5" cubes

    3 tbsp butter

    ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

    Salt

    Black pepper

Ready to go...

To Garnish:


    Grated parmesan
    Finely chopped parsley

Options:

You may add all of or just some of:- 5 diced bacon rashers, 200g mushrooms, 100g crumbled feta and a packet of baby spinach to this for variety.  Fry the bacon before the onion, the mushrooms with the onion, add the feta with the stock and stir the spinach in with the parmesan and butter and the latent heat will wilt it without affecting its nutrition.


Instructions:

•     Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
•     If baking the pumpkin, place on a baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake on top shelf of the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  This may be cooked in tandem with the Risotto or prior, depending on oven size.
•     Heat olive oil in ovenproof pot (preferably with a lid) over medium high heat.
•     Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent.
•     Add sage leaves and cook for 1 minute or until it is crispy, but not burnt.
•     Add rice and stir so all the rice grains are coated with the olive oil.
•     Add white wine and cook until the the liquid evaporates - about 1 minute.
•     Add pumpkin (if cooking in the Risotto) and stock, and bring to boil.  I use Massel vegetarian chicken stock in water boiled in the kettle which also speeds up the process.
•     Put lid on (or cover tightly with foil) and place in oven for 25 to 35 minutes.  Give it a quick stir around the 15 - 20 minute mark.  When finished the rice should be moist like porridge, not dry like a pilaff. Excess liquid will be utilized by the pumpkin when you stir it or let it sit for a minute or so with the lid off.
•     Add the roast pumpkin if you have cooked it in tandem with the Risotto.
•     Add butter and parmesan cheese.
•     Gently stir the risotto so that the pumpkin turns into a puree and blends into the risotto. If it's too thick then add a splash of boiled water.
•     Add salt and pepper to taste.
•     Serve, garnished with parsley, extra chopped sage leaves and extra parmesan if desired.

Sources:  Recipe Tine Eats, Best Recipes, TasteDotCom