When it comes to risotto, there are endless possibilities when it comes to flavor combinations. The most common flavor combinations include mushroom risotto, risotto with peas and bacon, or maybe even a risotto served with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. Embrace the term risotto as a cooking method, not just a specific dish—a blank slate if you will, that once you learn the basics of making, you are free to add in whatever creative taste combinations that you prefer. The cooking method for risotto is always the same: sauté chopped onion in melted butter, add in Arborio rice and toss to coat in the butter, add in white wine for flavoring, and then ladle-by-ladle, warm stock is added until the rice is al dente and the starch has been released from the rice to create a creamy pot of deliciousness.
This recipe for Pumpkin Risotto with Gorgonzola Cheese is one of my favorite risotto flavor combinations. Talk about a decadent dish; creamy risotto tossed with tender, slightly sweet cubes of pumpkin roasted with a touch of fresh sage, finished off with a sprinkling of rich Gorgonzola cheese that melts beautifully into the risotto itself. A comforting bowl of warm risotto that you and your dinner guests will want to savor time and time again.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue blog post title above*)
Pumpkin Risotto with Gorgonzola Cheese
Ingredients:
- * Recipe Courtesy of Mami Camilla Cooking School*
- For the roasted pumpkin (or squash):
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut a pumpkin (you can also use acorn or butternut squash) into cubes; you will need about 4 cups of cubed pumpkin. Place the pumpkin cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Chop 2 tablespoons of fresh sage and toss with the pumpkin as well. Roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork.
- For the risotto:
- Heat 8 cups of vegetable (or chicken) stock in a saucepan on the stove.
- Chop 1 large onion and cook it in a large pan with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter until translucent (approximately 5-7 minutes). Add 1 ½ cups of Arborio rice(short-grained risotto rice) to pan along with the onions and toast the rice for a few minutes while stirring. Add in ½ cup of dry white wine (and allow it to absorb into the rice while constantly stirring. Over medium heat then add one ladle full of warmed veggie stock into the rice mixture and continue stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding a ladle of warmed stock to the pan while stirring constantly, until you have used all of the broth and the risotto is tender and creamy in texture and the liquid evaporated. This will take anywhere from 20-25 minutes; don’t walk away from the risotto—you need to constantly stir it while it cooks so it doesn’t stick to the pan! (This is the risotto method of cooking rice!)
- Stir into the cooked risotto your roasted pumpkin (or squash), as well as ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese and ½ cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Serve warm.
Directions:
Tagged: blue cheese, culinary school, externship, Gorgonzola cheese, Italy, Mami Camilla cooking school, pumpkin, risotto, roasted vegetables, Sorrento, squash
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