It’s October, and that means pumpkins! This month, pumpkin is our featured ingredient for the Seasonal Potluck. I found these lovely pumpkins the last couple of weekends. I’ve always wanted white pumpkins, but usually have trouble finding them. This year I found a lot of great colors, and made this cute little stack after seeing some displayed at a flea market over the weekend.
I also picked up a small pie pumpkin to make a pumpkin risotto recipe I haven’t made in a few years. You can easily substitute butternut squash if pumpkin isn’t your thing. But if pumpkin isn’t your thing, you’re probably not reading this blog post… Anyway, this risotto is the epitome of fall flavors with the creamy pumpkin, shallots, garlic, and sage.
Pumpkin Sage Risotto, serves 6, adapted from Oprah.com
- 1 small (1 3/4 pounds) pumpkin , peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped shallots
- 1 clove garlic , finely chopped
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese , plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread the pumpkin on a baking sheet and toss with one tablespoon of the oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Turn off the heat but leave the saucepan on the stove.
Melt the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or large pot. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it turns from translucent to opaque (do not brown), about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Stir the hot broth into the rice, one cup at a time. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the rice absorbs almost all of the broth, about 3 minutes. Stir in another cup of broth, and stir until it is almost absorbed. Repeat, keeping the risotto at a steady simmer and adding more broth as it is absorbed, until you use all the broth and the rice is barely tender, about 20 minutes total. If you run out of broth and the rice isn’t tender, use hot water. Add the pumpkin and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, spooned into bowls and sprinkled with the sage. Pass a bowl of Parmesan cheese on the side. 
