Pumpkin and Goat's Cheese Risotto
I think Risotto is the ultimate weekend meal which should only ever be cooked when you have plenty of time to stand around stirring the pot, preferable with a glass of wine in hand! This pumpkin and goat’s cheese risotto is one of my favourites, but you find me a dish with 2 types of cheese in it, that isn’t!!
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35 - 40 mins
Ingredients
1L of Vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
200ml white wine
300g Arborio Rice
300g pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes
200g soft goat’s cheese (see recipe here if you fancy making your own!)
100g Parmesan, finely grated
Small bunch of sage, finely chopped, with 12 whole leaves remaining for garnish
Salt and pepper
1. Put the stock in a large pot and place over a medium heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce the temperature to a low simmer.
2. Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large heavy base pan and fry the finely diced onion over a low heat until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and sage, cook for a further 2 minutes. If anything starts to stick or brown, add a splash of wine and keep stirring.
3. Add the rice and stir well until the rice is coated in the oil.
4. Add the wine to the pan and continue to stir as the liquid evaporates.
5. Once the wine is evaporated, add 1 cup of stock and the pumpkin and stir.
Allow the liquid to evaporate, stirring occasionally.
6. Once the liquid is evaporated, add another cup of stock and allow to evaporate. Repeat this process until the pumpkin is tender and the rice is al dente.
7. Meanwhile, pick out 12 of the prettiest sage leaves. Place rapeseed oil in a small frying pan and allow the oil to heat up. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the sage leaves to the pan, one at a time, so they don’t touch each other. Watch them closely, as they will cook quickly. After about 30 secs in the bubbling oil, turn them over with a pair of thongs, and cook the other side. Once they are crisp, remove them from the pan and place on a piece of paper towel to absorb to excess oil.
7. Once the risotto is al dente, add the parmesan cheese and stir through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve risotto into a bowl and crumble the goats cheese over the top. Place your sage leaves on top. Enjoy!