Salads 

Risotto with pumpkin in Italian. Pumpkin risotto (old recipe from Lombardy)

Step 1: prepare the ingredients.

So, for starters, using a sharp kitchen knife, peel the pumpkin and onions from the skin. Then we rinse them under trickles of cold running water and dry them with paper kitchen towels. After that, put it in turn on a cutting board and continue preparation. Shred the onion into small cubes up to 5-6 millimeters in size.


We divide the pumpkin lengthwise into two halves with our hands, or, using a tablespoon, we remove the seeds and fibers and cut the vegetable flesh into small cubes 1–1.5 centimeters in size.


Then we cover the countertop with a kitchen towel, put the Arborio rice on it, sort it out, removing any debris, and pour it into a clean, dry bowl. In no case should you wash this type of cereal before preparing risotto, otherwise all the starch will go away and, as a result, the dish will turn out to be not so velvety.


Then grind a piece of hard Parmesan cheese into a clean dish, put a saucepan with broth on medium heat, let it boil, put others on the countertop the right products and proceed to the next step.

Step 2: prepare the pumpkin risotto.



Put a deep frying pan on medium heat and pour the required amount of olive oil into it. After a few minutes, dip the chopped onions into the heated fat and sauté it until transparent, it will take no more 2-3 minutes... After that, add pieces of pumpkin to it, reduce the heat to a small level and simmer together 15 minutes until the latter is soft, stirring occasionally with a wooden kitchen spatula.


Then we add rice there, carefully loosen everything to a uniform consistency and keep on the stove 3-4 minutes.


Next, fill the cereal with dry white wine and cook it until it completely absorbs all the moisture. In fact, this is not as long as it seems, in just a couple of minutes the alcohol will completely evaporate.


After that, helping ourselves with a ladle, we begin to pour hot vegetable broth into the pan. We act slowly, adding it in small portions, constantly stirring the rice and waiting for the liquid to be completely absorbed before adding the next portion.


We continue this process until the broth will not run out completely, but rice will not become soft, but wherein stays tight inside.


When the cereal grains reach the desired structure, put in practically ready meal butter, mix everything again until smooth, taste it and, if necessary, add a little salt, although its amount directly depends on the broth, which was necessarily seasoned with this spice during cooking. Also, do not forget that the recipe uses cheese with a high salt content, it is better not to zealous the poem!


After a few more we put the aforementioned spicy "Parmesan" into the risotto, mix everything well again, immediately distribute in portions on plates and taste!

Step 3: Serve the pumpkin risotto.



Risotto with pumpkin is served hot immediately after cooking, after being distributed in portions on plates. This yummy is considered a complete second course, but it can also be a wonderful side dish for baked, stewed or fried meat, poultry, fish or game. A feature of this dish is pear-shaped and very sweet variety pumpkin, it goes well with Arborio rice, noble Parmesan cheese, fine dry white wine and delicate butter, which makes the taste softer. Enjoy!
Bon Appetit!

You must always remember that this dish prepared by soaking hot moisture in rice. Therefore, the broth or water should be kept nearby in a separate saucepan over high heat so that the liquid does not have time to cool;

Use only wooden kitchen utensils to stir risotto so as not to damage the integrity of the rice grains;

Alternative to rice "Arborio" - "Vialone", "Padano" or "Carnaroli", and onions- red sweet or leek;

Some italian chefs white beer is used instead of wine;
after adding rice to the risotto pan, cook no more than 20 minutes, so that the grains are "al dente" italian dish... The recipe indicates a total time of 1 hour, taking into account the preparation of the ingredients and sautéing the onion and pumpkin.

Peel and cut the onion into very small cubes. Cut the chili peppers lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into half rings. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Preheat in a high-sided skillet or wide skillet olive oil and simmer the onions and chili over medium heat, stirring until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add pumpkin and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add rice and fry, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has evaporated. Reduce heat to just below medium.

Put a saucepan with broth on fire, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.

Pour in a ladle of hot broth and stir constantly until the broth is completely evaporated. Only then pour in the next ladle of broth. Cook the risotto for 10-15 minutes, stirring and adding broth. You may need a little more or less broth, depending on the type of rice. Try rice. If it is soft on the outside, but still hard on the inside, then pour in the last ladle of broth, salt and pepper. Stir half the Parmesan and butter into the risotto. Remove the pan from heat and cover, leave for 5 minutes. Divide the risotto into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Ten years ago I was choosing a name for this site, which then existed only in my head. I was looking for a word that would be sonorous, beautiful, memorable, understandable by ear, a little abstract, and related to cooking. There was one more requirement for this word: it should resonate with my own idea of ​​food, with what I like. As a result, I chose the word "arborio" rather quickly, because there is little which dish I love as much as risotto.

Years later, risotto still occupies an important place in my life. Perhaps this is the only dish of its kind that can be so delicious if prepared with the most common and inexpensive ingredients. It is unlikely that anyone decides to call pumpkin a delicacy, but the risotto with pumpkin will turn out to be rich, warming and incredibly tasty. In this recipe we will go for little trick to make your pumpkin risotto a brighter and more pumpkin-infused flavor, so don't be surprised when you finish your risotto and you'll want to cook it again right away.

Pumpkin risotto recipe

Complexity
average

Time
1 hour

Ingredients

2 servings

160 BC rice arborio or carnaroli

300 g pumpkin

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

600 g broth

1 glass vermouth or dry white wine

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp grated parmesan

a few sprigs of sage

butter

Pumpkin risotto is a dish that will be bright, rich, warming and incredibly tasty, even if it is prepared with the most common ingredients.
Alexey Onegin

Peel and seed the pumpkin, cut into cubes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg, and stir until each pumpkin cube is coated on all sides with a thin layer of oil and spices. Transfer the pumpkin to a baking dish, place in an oven preheated to 190 degrees, and bake for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

Put the saucepan on a low heat and fry the finely chopped onion and garlic in a mixture of olive oil and butter, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until the delicate aroma of vegetables begins to hover in the air, and they themselves become transparent. Add thinly chopped sage leaves and rice, salt, fry for another minute, then turn the heat up and pour in a glass of vermouth or white wine.

Stir the contents of the saucepan until the wine has completely evaporated. After that, reduce the heat and start adding the chicken or vegetable ladle one at a time, stirring the rice in the saucepan constantly with a spatula. The broth should be hot so as not to cool the stewpan, and the rice, during the stirring process, will release the starch contained in the broth, turning it into a thickening sauce before our eyes. Once the broth in the saucepan has evaporated, add another ladle and continue cooking.

Ideally, by the time the pumpkin is cooked, the rice will be flawless and you will have a ladle of stock left over. But if it doesn't, save the soup ladle - we'll need it a little later - and continue cooking the rice by adding boiling water and stirring it constantly. It is impossible to determine the exact time when rice is ready, it varies all the time and depends on many factors, so just try the rice.

When it's almost done, use a blender to blend the remaining broth with about a third of the pumpkin until smooth, and add to the risotto. Cook, stirring for another minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat and season the risotto with salt. Add grated cheese, baked pumpkin, a few cubes of butter, mix well and cover. 0

Pumpkin season is a great time for culinary experimentation. Believe it or not, there are dozens of complete meals you can make, each with pumpkin in it. Somewhere you can make its taste stronger, but for some dish it will be more appropriate if the pumpkin serves as a base, unobtrusive, but such a necessary and important addition.

A striking example of the latter would be pumpkin risotto. It's amazing how mellow the taste of this dish is! The pumpkin in it is almost imperceptible in taste, but it gives it juiciness, additional creaminess and unique bright color... The main taste of this dish is rice with a creamy aftertaste.

For the pumpkin risotto, it is very important to choose the right type of rice. Usually such rice is sold in the store, already labeled as risotto rice. If you have not found such rice, pay attention to the names of specific varieties - the most common is Arborio.

Like any other type of risotto, pumpkin seed will be cooked according to the general scheme in order to get exactly the risotto, and not rice porridge... The pumpkin risotto will be moist, creamy, but the grains of rice should not be overcooked and should be felt in the dish. The pumpkin will become part of the sauce, for which it is rubbed on the finest grater. Alternatively, you can use a blender to grind it.

In addition to suitable rice and pumpkin, prepare a standard risotto set of ingredients: onion, garlic, some vegetable oil, dry white wine, and hard cheese and a piece of butter.

Ingredients

  • 100 grams of pumpkin pulp
  • 50 grams of risotto rice
  • 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 50 ml dry white wine
  • 250 ml water or broth
  • 25 grams of hard cheese
  • 10 grams of butter
  • salt, pepper to taste

Finished product yield: 1 portion

How to make pumpkin risotto

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat in a skillet over medium heat vegetable oil and send the onion and garlic to fry there. It is necessary to cook until soft and transparent.

Then add rice to the pan, stirring occasionally, cook for 1 minute.

After that, pour the wine into the pan and let it soak in the rice. The wine will add a deep, complete aroma to the dish.

Season the dish with salt and pepper. Salt should be taken into account that the cheese will add a slightly saltier taste to the dish.

Now, little by little, start pouring water or broth into the risotto. Add each new serving only after the previous one has been absorbed. In this case, the risotto must be constantly stirred.

When half of the water (broth) has already been used up, grate the pumpkin on a fine grater. Add pumpkin to risotto and continue cooking.

Continue adding liquid to the dish.

From the start of the liquid infusion, the risotto takes exactly 17 minutes to cook.

For risotto with pumpkin or other vegetables, mushrooms, spinach, dried fruits, starchy varieties of white rice are chosen. The higher starch content makes it easier to obtain the required viscosity. The best in quality (they are also the most expensive in terms of price) include:

- Vialone Nano,
- Maratelli,
- Carnaroli.

Baldo, Padano, Roma, Arborio are next. As for the ubiquitous cheese, Parmesan and Pecorino are common. But it is worth considering regional traditions when preference is given to locally produced products. Therefore, a delicious result is possible with different ripe cheese, different rice. The goal is that, melting, cheese chips (shavings, chunks), together with butter, envelop literally every grain of rice.

More often, risotto with pumpkin and other options means: one glass of white rice will take up to three to four glasses of liquid. Prepared with chicken, meat, fish, seafood broth, vegetable broth, the most ordinary water. They do not fill the entire volume at once, they act progressively. The first ladle and a half, as soon as the rice grains absorb moisture, the second and so on.

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes / Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

  • white rice 300 g
  • pumpkin 200 g
  • olive oil 40-50 ml
  • butter 30 g
  • cheese 100 g
  • 1 clove garlic
  • onion 1 pc.
  • salt, pepper, herbs to taste

Preparation

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    Preheat a frying pan with a high side, pour in half of the olive oil - wait for a crackle. In the meantime, divide the pumpkin pulp into medium-sized cubes (about 1x1x1 cm). Do not forget to cut off the hard peel before this, clean it from seeds and internal threadlike fibers. If the pumpkin is sweet, bright, fragrant, the risotto will definitely come out delicious. It is better to flavor pale, watery varieties, add a spoonful of sugar or honey. Stir the pieces and fry at high temperature for 3-4 minutes. Try it, change the mode if necessary. Large pieces will be saturated with oil and soften inside a little longer, small pieces - sooner. Carefully, so as not to crush, transfer to a convenient container. Do not refrigerate the pan.

    Add the remaining olive oil, heat, spread the finely chopped garlic and purple onion. There may be a sharper one, for example, onion - it all depends on your desire. Thanks to the bright colors of pumpkin, the dish itself is life-affirming, positive, remains attractive and tasty with both moderate, delicate and burning pungency. In addition, they take strong-smelling sage, thyme, tarragon, rosemary or stop, like me, on black pepper and salt.

    After a couple of minutes, the onion cubes become transparent, it's time to introduce the next component - add rice. Stir and oil for a few minutes without water or broth.

    Now pour in a ladle of boiling water (or chicken / other broth), periodically move with a spatula and let the moisture completely absorb into the grains. Do not close and do not let it burn, stick to the bottom and side. Add the second portion of boiling water, wait again for evaporation / absorption. And so over and over again. Salt, pepper, taste.

    At the very end, we put butter, we easily tear chunks or three hard cheese with our hands - in a hot mass and cheese, and the butter immediately melts and saturates with a magical aftertaste, - we remove it from the stove.

    Throw in the fried pumpkin cubes and fresh herbs last, stir gently, warm up.

Serve homemade pumpkin risotto hot without delay. Bon Appetit!