It’s pumpkin season and you are looking for an easy pumpkin risotto recipe, or a butternut squash risotto, but… Italian style?
Well, let me tell you: you are in the right place!
Pumpkin recipes are typical during autumn, and in Northern Italy pumpkin goes hand by hand with risotto. The recommended cities for having a pumpkin risotto are Mantua (Mantova in Italian), or Ferrara . Even if most cities in Lombardy have very good typical pumpkin recipes, I suggest these two places because they also happen to be amazingly beautiful cities, rich in history and architecture.
The choice of the right pot is totally crucial to obtain a good risotto. It is completely different from the one used for the pasta, about 8-10 cm high, traditionally in cast iron or copper. It is important that rice can cook in a uniform manner, so the pot must be wide enough and not too high. During the last years, I realised that no pot can compare to a dutch oven! It’s incredible how versatile is this tool, which I use to bake my crusty bread, cook my risotto, slowly cook any roasted meat, or even my ribollita. If you want to buy a good one, while helping this blog, you can follow this link, at no additional cost for you! 🙂
And finally, the last phase of cooking an Italian risotto, mantecatura, is crucial: see how, using butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, a good mantecatura will result in a perfect risotto!
Note: are you into risotto, but pumpkin is not one of your favorites? Then have a look at this fava bean risotto or sausage and barbera risotto! Otherwise… let’s cook!
If you like my Italian pumpkin risotto… just PIN IT, so you will find it when you need it! 🙂
Easy pumpkin risotto
Equipment
- pot
- wooden spoon
- knife
Ingredients
- 400 gr pumpkin pulp
- 400 gr rice carnaroli rice is recommended (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnaroli)
- 80 gr butter
- half onion
- 1 lt vegetable broth
- 80 gr Parmigiano Reggiano
- qs black pepper
Instructions
- Start your pumpkin risotto by peeling the pumpkin and chopping it into small cubes.
- Finely chop the onion, and start browning it in the pot, using 40 gr of butter.
- When the onion is brown, add the pumpkin and cook it for 15 minutes, stirring it. This phase is important, to enhance the flavor of the pumpkin. Then add the rice, stirring it with no broth for 5 minutes, to toast it.
- Start adding some broth and stirring frequently, to avoid the rice to burn. This phase will last about 20-25 minutes, depending on the rice.
- When the rice is almost ready, remove from heat, add the remaining butter, the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir with strength until butter and cheese have melted, then cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes (in Italian this procedure is called mantecatura).
- Your pumpkin risotto is ready to be served, with some black pepper dusted on top.
Notes
Suggested wine pairings
What wine pairs with pumpkin? Not the easiest question ever! But, since the dominant taste in pumpkin recipes is sweet, I suggest to chose a wine that can contrast this flavor.
A dry, white wine will be perfect, better a spumante brut, or a prosecco brut. A great choice would be a Cartizze, denomination reserved to bottles coming from a tiny area near Treviso, like this one: https://bit.ly/2Epo23u , or a cheaper but definitely pleasant Valdobbiadene Superiore, like https://bit.ly/2QUGJ5x .
The opposite choice, quite common but that I don’t personally recommend, is to pair a wine with similar taste. In that case, a sweet, red lambrusco would be a natural choice. Try this one https://bit.ly/2Bo4Fo6 and let me know what you think about this pairing!
Buon appetito!
Disclosure
Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase you will help this blog grow. I only promote affiliate programs that I believe in, and products I know about, with the aim to help you in your choices.
4 Comments
Thanks for sharing this, it is wonderful!
Loved the black pepper touch.
I had a prosecco with it… 🙂
Thank you for your feedback! With prosecco you can never be wrong 😉
I’ve had the chance to enjoy this dish and I must admit, it is great!!!!
Always my favourite reader 😉