Risotto has a reputation for being difficult to make and nervous chefs usually avoid it. While it is true that risotto has various stages, and requires a good deal of attention, the individual stages are not hard and the final result is absolutely worth it.
One of the other nice things about risotto is its versatility. Once the basic method has been mastered, it is simply a question of experimenting with different vegetables (softer ones such as zucchini, which can be fried with the rice at the start of the recipe and take the same amount of time to soften, are good options), chicken, prawns, red wine instead of white for an unusual pink risotto and so on.
This risotto recipe, which is given a lovely orange color from the pumpkin, is made from stock, butter, white wine and a generous amount of fresh parmesan cheese. This makes it really rich but without the need for cream, which many risotto recipes call for. As a result, this recipe is also lower in calories than some other risotto recipes.
Risotto-stuffed Pumpkin
A rich, creamy vegetarian risotto that is served in hollowed-out pumpkin shells for a very adult take on a Halloween meal.
Serves 4.
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 3 small orange pumpkins about 5 in / 12 cm across
- 3 ½ oz / 100 g good-quality unsalted butter
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 8-10 small white mushrooms, sliced
- 7 oz / 200 g risotto rice (Alborio)
- 10 fl oz / 300 ml crisp white wine
- 25 fl oz / 750 ml vegetable stock (from a stock cube is fine)
- 7 oz / 200 g fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds to garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
- With a sharp knife, cut the tops off two of the pumpkins. These are the pumpkins that will be filled with risotto.
- With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard. Next, scoop out a little of the flesh to create more space in the pumpkin. Do not spend too long on this step, but without too much effort it should be possible to get about 3 ½ oz / 100 g flesh out of each serving pumpkin.
- Peel, deseed and dice 14 oz / 400 g of the third pumpkin. In total, 1 lb 5 oz / 600 g pumpkin is required. Put all the pumpkin in a saucepan, add just enough water to cover, bring to the boil and cook gently until soft. Drain and put to one side.
- Melt half the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and fry the onions and mushrooms on a low heat. The onions should be translucent, not brown.
- Add the rice, increase the heat to medium and, stirring with a wooden spoon, cook for 2-3 minutes. All the grains should be coated with butter.
- Pour in the wine, mix well with the rice and then stir every 10-15 seconds or so until it has evaporated.
- Start adding the stock, no more than 3-4 tablespoons at a time. Stir regularly so that the rice does not stick to the pan and do not add more stock until the previous amount has been absorbed.
- Once about a third of the stock has been used up, add the pumpkin. The flesh scooped out of the serving pumpkins should have broken down during cooking and will turn the risotto a colorful orange; while the diced pumpkin will give the dish texture.
- Continue adding stock as above, until the rice is just soft. Take off the heat. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and quickly stir into the risotto.
- Add the Parmesan and stir until melted. The stock and cheese are both quite salty so additional seasoning should not be necessary. However, salt and pepper can be added here to taste.
- Over a high flame, dry roast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan until light brown.
- While the pumpkin seeds are toasting, warm the serving pumpkins by filling them with any remaining stock. If there is no stock left, fill with hot water.
- Just before serving, empty the liquid out of the pumpkins, fill with the risotto and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Eat directly out of the pumpkin or place in the center of the table and allow guests to help themselves.
- This risotto is a meal in itself but can also be served with steamed greens such as haricot verts to provide a color contrast and to offset the richness of the risotto.
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