In my 20s my go to dish to cook for people was pumpkin risotto. I could afford it on my small nanny’s wage, and it was always delicious. It took a long time though. I roasted the pumpkin first, and then stirred for what seemed like hours over the stove top and then finally threw in a tonne of butter and served it up. It really ate into our nightclubbing hours! Ha.
This one is so simple though, and it delivers the best result. The pumpkin is creamy and rich, and it just works so well.
Oven-Baked Pumpkin Risotto Recipe
1/ Preheat the oven to 180ºC. In a frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add a diced brown onion and two diced garlic cloves. Saute for a couple of minutes, until the onion has softened. Add 6 sage leaves, and saute for one minute.
2/ Add 1 and ½ cups of arborio rice, and stir to coat in oil. Add ¼ cup of white wine, and let it absorb for 1 minute. Add 500g of finely diced butternut pumpkin and 1 litre of chicken stock, stir and bring to the boil.
3/ Transfer to a baking dish with a lid, and put it into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Add in two dollops of good quality butter and a handful of grated parmesan and stir with enthusiasm {this will break the pumpkin up and make the risotto all creamy and amazing}. Serve with more grated parmesan and enjoy.
This beautiful casserole dish is kindly gifted from Maxwell & Williams.
