This pumpkin and mushroom risotto recipe is rich and creamy, and makes the perfect comfort food on days when you need a little extra love.
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F)
Place the pumpkin and unpeeled garlic cloves into a baking dish and coat with the oil.
Toss together well to coat each piece evenly in the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes.
Pour the boiling water into a jug.
Add the dried mushrooms and the stock cube and stir well.
Set a timer for 5 minutes, at which point remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, squeeze the water back into the jug and roughly chop the mushrooms.
In a saute pan or large frying pan, add half the butter and the olive oil and melt over a medium heat.
Add the onion and gently fry for a few minutes until soft. Don’t allow the onions to get crispy or too dark.
Add in the rice, and toss to coat well in the remaining oil. If your pan is dry, feel free to add a little more oil at this point.
Fry for around 2 minutes.
Pour in, or use a ladle to add a little of your stock. Use a spatula to stir the stock through the risotto as it gently simmers.
When the stock has been absorbed, and the rice is starting to look a little dry again, add another small amount of stock.
Stir and repeat until half of the stock has been used.
At this point, stir through the mushrooms, the roast pumpkin and the roast garlic cloves (that you’ve removed from the papery skin).
Continue adding the stock until there is one measure left in the jug.
Taste a rice grain, and at this point they should be ‘al dente’ or have a little bit of bite left in them as they will continue to cook off the heat.
If they taste too hard, boil the kettle again and add little splashes/stir until the rice is al dente.
To finish your risotto, add in the rest of the butter and half of the grated Parmesan. Also add in the last of the stock (being sure to leave a little bit in the bottom of the jug to capture any grit that was in the mushrooms.)
Swap the spatula for a wooden spoon and stir the risotto really fast. This will melt the butter and cheese and make a wonderful, creamy sauce.
Serve between two bowls and scatter with the rest of the Parmesan.
Please enjoy my recipe! Jane | hedgecombers.com