The fall is a majestic season to admire, in a coat of red, orange and
yellow. It reveals new crops and warming flavors. Stretching into the
winter, pumpkin season is in full bloom. Pumpkins are members of the
gourd family, which includes muskmelon, watermelon and squash. Its
orange flesh has a mild, sweet flavor and the seeds, also known as
pepitas, are delicately nutty when husked and roasted. Some pumpkin
varieties can weigh well over 100 pounds and in general, the flesh from
smaller sizes will be more tender and succulent. Choose pumpkins that
are free from blemishes and heavy for their size. Store whole pumpkins
at room temperature up to a month or refrigerate up to 3 months.
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[ Serves 2 ]
Ingredients
- 1-1 ½ Cup(s) risotto rice
- 4 Cups vegetable broth (always best to have a little more than to run out)
- 1 Cup pure pumpkin purée or 1 pound fresh pumpkin for homemade pumpkin puree*
- 2 Tbsp ghee
- 1 Shallot
- ½ Cup pecorino, finely grated
- 3-4 Sage leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
*Pumpkin is an avoid for blood type B secretor. Replace Pumpkin with butternut squash. |
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Directions
- Heat the vegetable broth over medium heat in a saucepan.
- Peel and finely mince the shallot.
- In a medium sized pot, melt 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium
heat. Cook the shallot until translucent. Season with a little salt. Add
the rice and mix to coat it well in the ghee and shallot.
- Gradually add the warm vegetable broth, a ladle at a time, mixing
well. Add broth every time it is absorbed, stirring constantly. This
process should last about 20 minutes.
- If you are making homemade pumpkin puree, chop the pumpkin
skin-on in chunks and steam until cooked through and tender. The skin
will come off easily. Transfer the cooked pumpkin to a food processor
and pulse until mashed and creamy. This process shouldn’t take more than
5-10 minutes if the pumpkin is cut in small or medium-sized pieces. If
you are using pure canned pumpkin purée, simply measure it out.
- When the rice is almost done, stir in the pumpkin puree until
well combined. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Remove from the
heat.
- In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium-high heat
for about a minute. When it is hot, fry the sage leaves until crispy.
- To serve, plate the pumpkin risotto, sprinkle some Pecorino on
top and drizzle the hot sage infused ghee over it to melt it. Enjoy hot!
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