Pumpkin Risotto
Salty, earthy, with a whole lot of pumpkin flavor. This Pumpkin Risotto is THE risotto of Fall.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 7 slices of bacon
- 5-6 thyme stems leaves removed stems discarded
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a (preferably) separate pan over medium heat. Once hot place the bacon down in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until brown and crispy.
- Once done remove the bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate. When the bacon has completely cooled finely chop it. Reserve 3 tbsp of bacon fat.
- Place the broth on the stove on low heat to keep warm.
- Add the bacon fat to your risotto pan over medium-low heat. Toss in the shallots, garlic , and thyme leaves and cook until soft and fragrant approx. 2-3 minutes.
- Add arborio rice and mix to combine. Toast the rice for 3–4 minutes until it starts to become translucent. In the final minute, add the pumpkin purée and mix to combine with the rice.
- Add the first round of broth. Depending on the pan add broth until it just covers the risotto. (could be 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups). Give it a quick mix, a shake of the pan to ensure all grains are covered and cook until rice absorbs the majority of the broth. Mix 2-3 times each round of broth. Don't worry if you mix more. It terms of seasoning after the first round taste it (avoiding the rice), if it needs salt start with a heavy pinch (1/4 tsp) and go from there.
- Add more broth and repeat above steps. This recipe calls between 4-5 cups of broth. If you notice that it is perfectly cooked at 4, don't add more. This part of the recipe really takes intuition and feeling, if the rice is still hard or hard for your liking then add more little by little.
- When the risotto has absorbed the majority of the broth and is al dente (if it isn’t al dente yet, continue adding broth), turn off the heat. The risotto should be loose with a creamy consistency. Toss in the Parmesan cheese and bacon and serve immediately.