Pumpkin: Not Always Sweet, But Always Delicious

By: Unknown on 8:51 AM

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It's January so at this point I'm already sick of root veggies and apples, yearning for Spring and Summer produce. I love winter weather but the local produce scene here in Northern Indiana during these frozen tundra months is woefully root-themed.

This is a great time of year to experiment with those root veggies and make dishes that satisfy that "new" craving I have when I just can't eat one more roasted piece of squash! We're also well past the inundation of "pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere" so I feel like I can circle back to it safely.

This recipe is a simple risotto, which sounds kind of intimidating but honestly let's just call it creamy rice because that's what it is! I have an awesome go-to risotto recipe I love to make that has minimal stirring and you don't have to babysit it on the stove, but I wanted to try something new.

This pumpkin risotto is fantastic. Not only do you get in a great squash-like veggie, but the creaminess of the risotto topped with a little of that fabulous funky goat cheese elevates the entire dish!

If you're making this for your family and have pickier kiddos, just leave off the goat cheese and see if they'll go for the plainer version. Honestly it's fantastic either way and super-filling so I like to serve it up with a big green salad and a glass (or 2) of white wine.

Cheers to pumpkin being savory and not featured in every beverage on the menu! 

Cozy Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth (or use chicken in a pinch)

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. minced onion

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black pepper

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1½ cups Arborio rice

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Fresh ground black pepper

8 oz crumbled goat cheese

½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Whisk together the vegetable broth and pumpkin in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring up to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm.
2. Melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the onion, salt and a sprinkle of black pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, then add in the thyme and rice and cook for one minute longer.
3. Add the white wine vinegar and a ladle of warm stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated. Add another ladle of stock, and continue cooking until evaporated again.
4. Continue cooking, adding a ladle of stock at a time, and allowing to evaporate in between each addition. Cook until the rice is cooked, but isn’t mushy. Should take about 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat then stir in parmesan and nutmeg. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve topped with the goat cheese and dried cranberries.

Barely adapted from an original recipe on http://www.platingsandpairings.com

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