With Halloween now over there is an abundance of pumpkins just begging to be turned into something delicious to eat, rather than fed to the birds or worse, thrown out. With their sweet and earthy flavour pumpkins are a great vegetable to use at home but most people don’t know what to do with them. That’s why we’ve got a lovely recipe for using up your leftover Halloween pumpkin and perfect to warm up with after an evening spent trick-or-treating. You can get this one on the table in around 40 minutes! We think Winslade pairs perfectly with pumpkins, a take on the classic sweet and salty flavour combination.
Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 stick celery
20g butter
250g carnaroli risotto rice
50ml white wine
800ml vegetable stock
50g Winslade, rind removed
150g pumpkin
Sage
Method:
Cut half your pumpkin into 1cm cubes and the other half into large chunks. Pop the larger chunks of pumpkin into a pan of salted boiling water and cook until soft (but not falling apart completely). Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, finely dice the onions and celery and melt half the butter in a saucepan. Once the butter is foaming, add the onions and celery and sweat with the lid on until they are soft, be careful not to colour. Finely chop a few sage leaves and add to the pan.
Add the rice and toast until translucent before adding the wine. Once the wine has evaporated, add the stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously for around 30 minutes. The more you stir your risotto while its cooking, the creamier it will be.
10 minutes before the end of cooking add the small cubes of pumpkin. You can test the rice after half an hour to see if it’s al dente – but you are looking for a glossy consistency too.
Once your large chunks of pumpkin have cooled, blend with a splash of milk or water until smooth. Try not to add too much liquid because it can make your final risotto too loose.
When you are happy that your risotto is cooked through, add the other half of your butter, the pumpkin puree and Winslade, season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can fry some of the smaller sage leaves in a little oil to garnish the top of your risotto if you wish.
