Lola, author of Loleta, Life, Market and Cooking , brings us a cocotte recipe that you will really enjoy at home: a pumpkin risotto , without complications but with a delicious and most autumnal flavor. What do you enjoy!

Risotto is an Italian way of preparing rice that is based on patience, but is not difficult at all. The secret is to get the rice (of the arboreal or carnaroli type almost always) to release all its starch, so that it has a creamy texture. To do this you have to move constantly with the help of a wooden spoon.

Today we prepare it only with vegetables, but the possibilities are endless, just like your imagination.

Given the dates we are in and to take advantage of seasonal fruit, I thought it might be interesting to make a pumpkin risotto. I thought it would be an interesting combination, and in fact it has turned out to be an absolutely delicious combination!

You can prepare the risotto in a low saucepan, such as the Le Creuset saucepan-type cocotte , or as in my case I used the normal round cocotte directly. The distribution made by the iron of the heat is great and the cooking is perfect.

Le Creuset mini cocottes

Ingredients

• 600g pumpkin meat, cut into very small pieces
• 50ml of La Chinata extra virgin olive oil
• 90gr of butter divided into three parts
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 whole garlic clove and another finely minced
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 300g carnaroli rice
• 1 liter of chicken broth, hot (for a vegetarian version, we can use vegetable broth)
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A handful of peeled pumpkin seeds

Preparation

1. In a frying pan , heat the oil and a third of the butter, then add two sprigs of rosemary, the whole clove of garlic and the pumpkin.
2. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until softened and almost puréed. Remove the rosemary sprigs and the garlic clove.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan , heat the broth. It should be piping hot when you start making the risotto.
4. In a cocotte , heat another third of the butter and fry the onion over low-medium heat, until soft.
5. Next, add the rice and, without stopping to move with a wooden spoon , let it fry for a few minutes so that the oil impregnates all the grains well.
6. Add a ladle of hot broth and then the pumpkin mixture. Stir well until the broth has been completely consumed.
7. Add more broth little by little (a ladle or two at a time), stirring the rice all the time, and wait for the broth to evaporate before adding more.
8. When there are a couple of ladles left to add, add the grated Parmesan and the rest of the butter.
9. Serve the rice very hot with a little extra cheese on top and a few sprigs of rosemary. Finish by sprinkling some peeled pumpkin seeds.

Le Creuset ceramic tureen , round Le Creuset mini-cocotte and round Le Creuset Evolution cocotte

You can serve the risotto in individual dishes, or choose to present it in mini-cocottes , an excellent option given its size and that it is a very filling dish.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did at home!