Roasted pumpkin and fried sage risotto
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Roasted pumpkin and sage
- 650 g peeled deseeded pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes; Hokkaido, kabocha, or butternut rounded
- 25 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided rounded
- 16 fresh sage leaves, dry rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
- to taste black pepper rounded
Risotto
- 1 L light vegetable stock, kept hot, with extra available if needed rounded
- 25 g unsalted butter, final 15 g kept cold rounded
- 60 g shallot, finely chopped rounded
- 320 g Carnaroli rice rounded
- 100 ml dry white wine rounded
- 45 g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated rounded
- 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest and 10 ml juice rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Method
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the pumpkin cubes with 15 ml olive oil, the 2 g salt, and plenty of black pepper. Spread in one uncrowded layer on a large tray. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges rather than watery.
- Set aside one third of the best-shaped roast pumpkin pieces. Mash or blend only the remaining two thirds with 100 ml of the hot stock until mostly smooth. Keeping a portion in pieces prevents the finished risotto from becoming a uniform sweet purée.
- While the pumpkin roasts, heat the remaining 10 ml olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Fry the dry sage leaves in two batches for 15 to 25 seconds, just until crisp and still green. Drain on kitchen paper. Keep 8 whole for serving and crumble the rest.
- Keep the remaining stock hot at a bare simmer. Melt 10 g butter in a wide 28 cm sauté pan over medium-low heat. Soften the shallot for 4 minutes without colour. Add the dry Carnaroli and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until hot and translucent at the edges.
- Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add hot stock as needed, one ladle at a time, maintaining a lively simmer and enough liquid for the grains to move freely. Stir regularly without beating the rice continuously.
- After 10 minutes, stir in the mashed pumpkin and crumbled fried sage. Continue adding hot stock as needed. Begin tasting after 15 minutes. When the rice has a fine firm core, fold in the reserved roasted pumpkin pieces and cook for 1 to 2 minutes so they heat through without breaking down.
- Remove from the heat while the risotto is still loose. Add the 15 g cold butter, hard cheese, lemon zest, and 10 ml lemon juice. Stir and shake firmly, then rest off heat for 1 minute. Adjust salt, black pepper, acidity, and stock. It should flow all’onda in a broad wave with distinct pumpkin pieces.
- Spoon into warm shallow bowls, top with the whole fried sage leaves, and serve immediately. Do not hold it warm, because the rice will absorb the free liquid and lose its flowing texture.
Notes
- Roasting concentrates pumpkin and creates savoury browned edges. Boiled pumpkin introduces extra water and pushes the dish closer to sweet purée.
- Pumpkin varieties differ. Hokkaido and kabocha are drier than butternut, so keep extra hot stock ready and judge texture in the pan rather than forcing all 1000 ml into the rice.
- Lemon, assertive black pepper, sage, and hard cheese balance the pumpkin’s sweetness. Add the measured juice first; too much acid can obscure saffron-like floral notes in the squash.
- Use hard cheese made with microbial or vegetarian rennet if the vegetarian tag matters. Protected Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano use animal rennet.
- Serve immediately. Cool leftovers promptly in a shallow container, refrigerate within 2 hours, and use within 1 day. Reheat once until piping hot. Fried sage softens in storage, so make fresh leaves if serving leftovers as cakes.