Pumpkin Risotto

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

Risotto is an Italian way of preparing rice that is based on patience, but does not have any difficulty. The secret is to get the rice (almost always the arboreal or carnaroli type) to release all its starch, so that it has a creamy texture. For 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 the 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!

The risotto can be prepared in a low casserole, like the Le Creuset casserole type cocotte , or as in my case that I have 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
• 90g butter divided into three parts
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 whole garlic clove and another very minced
• 1 very chopped onion
• 300g of carnaroli rice
• 1 liter 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 skillet , heat the oil and a third of the butter, then add two sprigs of rosemary, the whole garlic clove, and the pumpkin.
2. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until softened and almost pureed in texture. 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 permeates 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 a little at a time (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 , Le Creuset round mini-cocotte and Le Creuset round 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 fairly filling dish.

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