Pumpkin Risotto - Vegan
What says Autumn more than Pumpkins? I have been testing out so many new pumpkin recipes and must admit that the Pumpkin Risotto remains one of my favourites. It’s not only super easy to cook but is so flavourful and it’s also a great option if you want to make something special this Halloween.
As a Halloween special I decided to fill this hollowed out Pumpkin with Pumpkin Risotto - hollowing out the pumpkin will take around 5 minutes and you will be cooking the pulp you extract from inside. I decided to make this version vegan but you can always add Grana Padano in the end when the Risotto is almost fully cooked.
Prep Time: 15 Min
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients for 2/3 Portions:
Pumpkin - 1 small / medium sized
White Onion - 1 Medium
Vegetable stock - 1L
Carnaroli Rice - 250 g
Oregano
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
White Wine - a sprinkle - you can leave this out
How to:
Start by pre-heating your oven to 200°C.
Heat up some water and add the vegetable stock to it. Leave it to simmer at medium heat so that it doesn’t boil but stays warm.
If you want to serve your pumpkin risotto in the hollowed out pumpkin you will have to cut the top part off, take out the seeds and carve out all the pumpkin pulp. Clean it nicely so that it is ready for serving late (the hollowed out pumpkin will not be cooked). If you don’t want to serve it in the Pumpkin just clean and cut it and remove all the pumpkin pulp.
Place all the pulp on a baking sheet spread out and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt- bake at 200°C for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes are over leave it on the side.
Heat some olive oil in a pot and add the finely chopped onion. Let it cook for around 5 minutes at medium heat until the onion start to become golden. Now it’s time to sprinkle some white wine in the pot - cook until it’s evaporated and then add the rice.
Stir well and let the rice cook for around 2 minutes, after this add around half of the vegetable stock.
Your rice will be cooking for around 16 to 22 minutes (depending what it says on your rice box). Keep stirring from time to time, making sure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom and adding stock when you see that it’s drying up. It’s ok if you don’t use all the stock.
When 10 minutes are missing, add in the pumpkin pulp and stir, nicely spreading it around. Add some salt and pepper as well as the oregano and thyme.
Keep stirring until the time is up, taste your risotto and see if salt is missing (if it is add some) and make sure that your rice is neither too dry or too liquid.
You can now remove the risotto from the heat and pour it into the hollowed out pumpkin or onto a plate - if you wish you can add Parmisan or a vegan option.
Your Risotto is ready to be served.