Pumpkin Risotto

Name: Pumpkin Risotto
Ingredients: 100 g butter; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 600 g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced; 280 g risotto rice; 1 litre (4 cups) hot chicken stock; finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon; salt and black pepper to taste; 15 ml (1 tablespoon) sunflower oil; 8 sage leaves

For a perfect result, you must stand over and stir risotto continuously as it cooks, but the result is well worth the effort.

Published 29 January 2024

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Ad the onions and garlic and cook for 6 minutes until very soft.
Stir in the diced pumpkin and cook for 4 minutes.
Tip in the rice and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes until the rice is coated in butter.
Pour in a ladleful of the hot stock and continue stirring and cooking until the stock is almost completely absorbed by the rice. Repeat with another ladleful of stock and continue stirring and cooking until the stock is absorbed. Continue in this way until all the stock is used up and the risotto is thick and juicy, with a soup-like consistency, and the rice is just tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the lemon rind and juice.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the sage leaves until crisp, about 2 minutes.
Spoon the risotto into a serving dish and garnish with fried sage leaves. Serve immediately.