Pumpkin Risotto
It’s fall y’all! Here in Kentucky it seemed to take forever to finally FEEL like fall but that’s okay. I’ve found all sorts of fall recipes to adapt to our dietary needs and I’m so excited to share the ones we like with you!
While I know people can easily go a little overboard with pumpkin flavored foods, I promise this one is sooo worth it! And out of fear of going too far with the pumpkin taste, I cut back on just how much pumpkin purée I used in this recipe and I explain that further down in the notes section of this post.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you likely know Darrell and I are CRAZY about some risotto. It’s something we first tried at a restaurant in NYC last year and instantly loved (and devoured).
Upon arriving home from that trip, I was determined to cook it at home. Read that blog post here. I studied up on an awesome guide from another cooking website and felt prepared for the task at hand. Everyone always writes about how it’s such a “labor of love” and I guess it does require your attention for a more involved cooking process but I honestly find standing at the stove stirring it and giving it more broth super therapeutic. There’s nothing better to cure a bad, stressful or long day, in my opinion, than putting on some good music (my go-to relaxing cooking music is pretty much always the lovely Billie Holiday) and cooking some risotto!
And it’s such a versatile dish. There’s SO much you can do with it to change up the flavor completely! Shameless plug for my future wedding registry (still working on that...) - I really hope I get a food processor haha - because I have so many risotto ideas I want to try if I could just purée foods better!! Along with so many other uses for a food processor! ;) I’m working on another risotto post for the near future on yet another way to change up this dish - stay tuned!
Back to this pumpkin risotto. I made this dish last night and D grilled some pork chops and cooked some asparagus. It was so nice out yesterday that we decided to take advantage of what might be one of the last opportunities this year to enjoy our meal al fresco! And we were such fans of this fall rendition of a favorite that I’m writing this while on the treadmill the next morning! I just had to share it that fast haha!!
My notes from trying this recipe:
Given that I cook risotto a few times a month now, I tend to stick to the process of the simple and detailed guide I first followed when attempting this somewhat tedious dish. It can be found HERE. I always like to use this guide as a reference when cooking any type of risotto.
Specifically, I didn’t measure out 1 cup of broth every time I added broth but rather use a small ladle (like the size you’d use to serve gravy) and just add in an amount that looks appropriate for what the rice can absorb at that time, never to add too much to quick.
We’re big fans of shallots over white onion here. So I swapped out the onion Burnt Macaroni’s recipe called for and stuck with our tried and true shallots. I cut one small shallot finely for this recipe.
I didn’t have any white pepper so I just used black pepper. I used approximately half a teaspoon.
1 cup of dry arborio is plentyyyy risotto for just D and I. So I adjust accordingly but I’m honestly not super exact on measurements - however I’ll do my best to give you the scoop on how much of what I used…
Salt - also cut this to about half a teaspoon.
For 1 cup of dry arborio, I’ve found that one 32 oz carton of vegetable broth is the perfect amount. The recipe called for 6 cups, however 4 cups are in one 32 oz carton and given that I cut the rice, this worked out well.
I used only 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. And for those curious, no nutmeg does not contain nuts (it’s actually a seed). Although some seasoning brands warn of cross contamination, so always check for yourself and beware!
I used 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then butter for the final steps. I’m more of a butter fan for risotto and typically don’t use olive oil when cooking other versions of this dish. I used two tablespoons of butter when stirring in the pumpkin puree.
Chardonnay: If you’re not a fan or chardonnay or a wine drinker at all, you may not want to buy a bottle of wine. I have found that Kroger carries individual 12 oz cans of select wines and this works out great to avoid only using a small amount of a full bottle. This recipe called for 3/4 cup of chardonnay and since I made a smaller portion of the recipe, I just eyeballed it and poured some out of the can.
What is the wine used for? It “deglazes the pan” after cooking the onion and toasting the arborio. Additionally it adds depth and flavor to the risotto. This is the first recipe I have seen call for chardonnay specifically and it paired nicely with the pumpkin and nutmeg to bring out a warm fall taste.
Pumpkin puree: This recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree. Due to the downsize in portions, I measured out 1 cup of the puree but ended up only using about 3/4 of the cup. While mixing it in, I noticed how quickly the pan looked overcome with pumpkin and I worried a full cup would be too much. Darrell and I agree 3/4 cup was just enough subtle pumpkin flavor without being too strong.
This recipe called for a little bit of parmesan cheese and parsley to top it. While I did top the finished dish with both, I also added 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese after mixing in the pumpkin puree and two tablespoons of butter. Risotto just isn’t risotto without that creamy texture and cheesy goodness - a sprinkling on top just wasn’t going to do for this cheese lover!!
Final thoughts:
This is definitely a dish we’ll be repeating! At one point Darrell exclaimed “The kitchen smells like Thanksgiving!” The nutmeg + pumpkin puree combo does a nice job of giving you all the cozy fall holiday feels!
View the recipe from Burnt Macaroni.