Pumpkin and Leek Risotto
Brown butter. Hazelnut crunch. Crispy Sage. Dollop of Mascarpone.
If I told you this recipe came about by pure “what’s in the fridge” necessity, you probably wouldn’t believe me. Heck, I would have a hard time believing myself.
Yet this is what happened the other day when I found myself with half a butternut squash and some leeks calling my name. I had been craving risotto for a few weeks and I figured nothing bad can come from adding more veggies to it in the shape of a butternut squash “stock”.
Using leeks instead of onions brings more sweetness to the risotto, while the brown butter at the end balances this nicely.
The meal came together quite fast, and you can make the stock a day in advance in order to shorten actual cooking time on the day you plan to serve the risotto. This is actually very easy to make, just by roasting the pumpkin and pureeing it with some vegetable stock to a consistency that is thinner than an ordinary soup.
Then, you just add that instead of simple stock to your risotto and you will get all the flavour and goodness of the veggies in your dish. Simple, but so effective.
I chose to top the risotto with a few crunchy things, such as hazelnuts and crispy sage, as well as the mascarpone in order to make the meal more suitable for a dinner party, for example. And while if you’re just making this for a weeknight dinner for your family you may want to skip this step, I urge you not to. It really brings everything together so beautifully.
Without further ado, let’s make this beautiful risotto. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you make it in the comments!
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 small pumpkin or butternut squash- after scraping out the seeds, you need about 400g, chopped into large pieces
1 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle for the pumpkin
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 large leek, white part only, finely chopped
100 ml dry white wine
25g butter
200g risotto rice
1l hot vegetable stock, plus extra splash if needed
50g grated parmesan
For the topping:
70g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
knob of butter
about 16 sage leaves, no stem
4 tbsp mascarpone (1 per plate)
Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C
Start by preparing your pumpkin stock. In an oven safe dish place pumpkin pieces and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Roast for about 45 minutes, until squash is very tender. Let cool for a few minutes.
When cool enough to handle, add pumpkin and peeled garlic into a blender and finely process. Slowly add the hot stock until you get a thin consistency. This will last in the fridge 2-3 days or in the freezer for a month.
To make the risotto, heat a large pan over medium heat with a slug of olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent. Add the risotto rice and toast it until translucent.
Pour the wine in the pan and let evaporate.
Make sure your pumpkin stock is nice and hot. One ladle at a time, pour stock into the risotto pan and mix well until incorporated. A risotto is a labour of love and will take about 15-20 minutes of continuous stirring until ready. Don’t add too much liquid at a time and don’t stop stirring, as this will release the beautiful starch in the rice and make everything extra creamy.
When all the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked al dente, turn off the heat, taste and adjust seasoning. Add the butter and parmesan, cover and let rest for a few minutes.
Finally, when ready to serve, mix well with a wooden spoon and divide among plates (at this point the risotto should be ultra creamy and gorgeous).
For the topping start by browning a knob of butter. As soon as it starts turning golden brown, add the hazelnuts and sage leaves. Cook for a few minutes until everything is fragrant and take off the heat (this is essential, otherwise it will burn).
Top the risotto with the beautiful crunchy topping, as well as a dollop of mascarpone.
Serve with a gorgeous salad and enjoy xx