Creamy Pumpkin Risotto with Sage Butter and Manchego Cheese
Bad Mood Remedy
Fall is finally here and I’m very excited to share this creamy pumpkin risotto recipe with you my dears! It’s infused with sage at different stages of the cooking process and I glossed it up with a good sprinkle of a sweet and salty Manchego cheese. This is such a compelling dish! I love how a simple risotto could make any occasion feel extra special!
There’s a reason for this. Even if it’s simple in its ingredients and process, it’s the mechanics of it that make risotto not an everyday dish. You probably already know why. You have to be basically steady and very much compelled in front of the stove stirring it constantly. Depending on your mood or available time, this will probably not be any fun. And no matter how many recipes tell you it will be ready in 20 minutes, I have never made a risotto in under 30. The irony is that, even if you have to be all that time in front of the stove, you can still have a special and kind of fancy meal in 45 minutes. Silver linings!
Risotto is supposed to be creamy. In my experience there are two things you need to take care for making a risotto super creamy. First is adding small amounts of liquid that is very hot, this way the high heat cooking on your skillet will be constant. Second, you need to stir constantly and in one direction. A steady and paced motion, not too fast, not too slow. These steps are key in getting an al dente risotto and not ending up with just rice swimming in liquid or worst, overcooked mushy rice.
If you aren’t still too kin to roll you sleeves and make a risotto, let me tell you my darlings, you can always think of it as the best therapy! There have been moments when the good mood have failed me miserably and everything that can go wrong had taken that option but there’s nothing like bringing up your skillet and taking all your bad mood on the risotto. After stirring, stirring and more stirring, you’ll have probably let go of most of that mood and after that meal, better with a nice glass of wine, you can trust me that you will be the happiest person around!
A lovely meal in less than 45 minutes
My secret to having a lovely meal ready in less than 45 minutes, even when I’m making a risotto, is to rely on my oven. Since risotto is such a rich dish I like to pair it with something lightly seasoned that I can cook in the oven. That way the oven will do half the work for me while I’m working on my risotto. For this dish I seasoned some salmon fillets with salt and a bit of garlic and olive oil and let them ready in a baking dish. When the risotto was resting I preheated my countertop oven to 425° and then roasted the salmon for 5 minutes. With this high heat, 5 minutes is all you need. You can do this with shrimp as well. For a vegetarian option, start by lightly seasoning your favorite vegetables and place them in the oven BEFORE starting your risotto. Roast them at 400° and I’m pretty sure they will be done by the time you end up the cooking.
How do you make a creamy pumpkin risotto
As mentioned before, two keys in making a creamy risotto are adding hot liquid gradually and stirring constantly. Wait until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. When the liquid around the rice looks shiny and sticky it’s time to add your next ¼ cup of hot liquid. And add liquid in a stream while you stir.
Talking about stirring, always stir in one direction in a constant pace; not too slow, nor too fast.
And don’t stir it too much after adding the last amount of liquid, just two to three times to distribute the liquid through the rice. Add the pumpkin, if making a pumpkin risotto, and cheese and then retire skillet from heat and let the risotto sit for five minutes before returning to burner and pouring melted butter or oil while stirring to emulsify it. Finish with your grated cheese if using (of course you are, if not I’ll question your real motives here but I’ll still love you : )
Hope you give this dish a go for this fall season that kicks now. Let me know if you have the chance of making it. Would love to know your thoughts about your experience making this lovely and delicious creamy pumpkin risotto with all those amazing notes from the sage and the nutty and sweet Manchego cheese.
Creamy Pumpkin Risotto with Sage Butter and Manchego Cheese
Ingredients
◯ Organic chicken or vegetable stock – 4 cups
◯ Water – ½ cup
◯ Sage sprigs, 4 to 5 leaves per sprig – 2
◯ Butter – 6 TBSP
◯ Olive oil – ¼ cup
◯ Onion, small cubed – ½ cup
◯ Arborio rice – ¾ cup
◯ White wine, preferably Albariño, warmed up – ½ cup
◯ Pumpkin pureé, at room temperature – ½ cup
◯ Manchego cheese, grated – ½ to ¾ cup plus more to serve
◯ Freshly ground black pepper and crushed pistachios to serve
Details
Yield:
3 to 4 full services or 5 services as a side dish
Total time:
35 minutes
Prep time:
5 minutes
Cooking time:
30 minutes
Equipment:
large and small sauce pan, large skillet, wooden spoon or silicon spatula
Steps
To make the creamy pumpkin risotto with sage and Manchego:
Place a large saucepan in a burner near the burner you will be cooking your risotto. Combine the 4 cups of stock, the ½ cup of water and 1 of the sage sprigs. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer. You’ll need to keep this liquid hot during the risotto’s cooking process.
While the stock heats up, melt the six tablespoons of butter with the other sage sprig over medium heat, swirling every now and then to infuse the butter. As soon as the butter melts, cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and reserve.
In a large skillet heat the ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the half cup of small cubed onions, stirring constantly until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ¾ cup of arborio rice and cook for about 2 minutes, until rice is golden and starts to look translucent. Pour in the ½ cup of wine and keep stirring. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated. Add about ½ cup of the hot stock and stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Bring heat down to medium-low and add about ¼ cup of the stock while stirring. Keep stirring the rice, waiting until it has absorbed most of the liquid before adding the next ¼ cup of hot stock. The key is to wait until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid but never becomes dry. Keep repeating this until the stock is almost gone, about 20 to 25 minutes. Taste your rice for doneness about 20 minutes into cooking. Remember that risotto should be al dente, so rice should have a nice bite and it’s not supposed to be extra soft or tender.
When your rice is already saucy and creamy and almost done, add the ½ cup of pumpkin and the grated Manchego cheese. Stir to combine everything and cook for 30 seconds. Add the last amount of stock and stir twice, then remove from heat. Let risotto rest for 5 minutes.
Return to medium-low heat and stirring constantly pour in the melted butter. Remove form heat. Serve immediately. Sprinkle more grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper and crushed pistachios on top if desired.
