Pumpkin Risotto

A rich and creamy Italian rice dish, risotto is a heartwarming meal that can be served as an appetizer, a side dish or a main dish. This simple gourmet recipe adapted from the Hotel Cipriani by Orient Express Hotels and made by Chef Renato Piccolotto is flavored with pumpkin and rosemary. Simple yet elegant, risotto with pumpkin and rosemary is best enjoyed with a bottle of Cotes du Rhone.

For a truly delicious risotto, only use Italian rice especially meant for cooking risotto for this delicious gourmet food. These are short-grain round rice that contains a lot of starch and absorbs a lot more liquid than regular rice without becoming mushy. Some of the popular Italian rice varieties for making risotto include Aroborio, Carnaroli, Nano, Baldo, and Vialone. When cooked, this kind of rice becomes lusciously creamy, sticky, and compact.

Cooking risotto takes a lot more effort, care, and patience than cooking regular rice. The rice needs to be sautéed first in butter and some onions until the grains turn a glassy appearance but not brown. Chicken or beef bouillon is then added to the rice but the bouillon needs to be simmering when it is added to the sautéed grains. If the liquid is added cold, it will result in unevenly cooked or hard kernels. Unlike regular rice where all the required liquid is already poured in the pot together with the rice and you only wait for it to cook completely, the liquid in the risotto is gradually added, a cup at a time, and wait for the rice to absorb the bouillon before pouring the next one, until the rice becomes tender and creamy.

The pumpkin should already be cooked before you add it to the rice. It should also not be cold, and ideally warm. To cook the pumpkin, peel and dice and sauté in butter with some onions and garlic until it becomes tender and starts to fall apart. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Ingredients

8 ½ teaspoons minced onion

7 tablespoons butter

2/3 lb. round rice (Carnaroli)

about 12 ¾ cups beef or chicken bouillon

½ lb. Fondo di Zucca (pumpkin with garlic and rosemary; see recipe)

2 teaspoons minced rosemary

3 ½ tabelespoons grated parmesan cheese

salt, pepper

1. In a pot, allow the bouillon to simmer over low heat.

2. In a pan, sauté the onions in butter. Once the onions change color, add the rice, covering every grain with butter. Stir gently and cook until the rice turns glassy.

3. Add 4 cups hot bouillon and bring to a boil. Add more bouillon from time to time. Stir continuously and wait until the bouillon is almost evaporated before adding more bouillon. Take care that the bouillon does not evaporate too much.

4. Continue cooking until the rice is tender and creamy. When the rice is half cooked, add the cooked pumpkin.

5. Once the rice is entirely cooked, remove it from the heat and mix with butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve the risotto on a warm dish, decorated with rosemary.