Recipe: Pumpkin and saffron risotto

Introducing the culinary equivalent of a warm hug

One thing we love about the cold weather is the excuse for hunkering down and indulging in deliciously stodgy and warming, home-cooked food. Risotto is the perfect case in point – all that creamy rice... mmm. But of course, it’s the flavoursome ingredients you add to the recipe that will really set your taste-buds alight and leave you with that warm glow.

That’s why we have fallen in love with this autumnal Italian pumpkin and saffron risotto recipe we stumbled upon on the Thyme blog. 

Copyright: rileymadel.yummly.com

So much more than a Halloween lantern

Pumpkin has a taste so sweet, mellow and moreish, it’s hard to believe it’s healthy. Now is a good time to get it from your supermarket. Sow the seeds now and you could even be eating your own homegrown pumpkins next year. Read about how to grow the seeds in our guide. During the Autumn, the saffron flowers - known as 'saffron crocus' - begin to bloom a pretty purple colour. The petite threads of saffron in this recipe add a delicious smoky flavour. 

saffron

How to make pumpkin and saffron risotto

(Original recipe from Sarah Fioroni’s A Family Farm In Tuscany)

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red onion (35g) red onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups (225g) pumpkin, peeled and cubed or 1/2 of a 15 oz  can of pumpkin purée (210g)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 cups (500l) hot water
  • 2 cups (500l) vegetable broth (have extra handy)
  • 2 cups (380g) Arborio rice
  • 1/4 tsp saffron
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 14-inch (35 cm) saute pan over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is wilted and transparent, about 5 minutes.  

2. Add the pumpkin (if uncooked) and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  If the pumpkin starts to stick to the pot, add some of the hot water.  Add the rosemary and sauté until the pumpkin begins to soften.

3. While the pumpkin mixture is cooking, combine 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the water with the vegetable broth and saffron in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan;  cook over medium heat about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Add the rice to the pumpkin mixture and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add one-third of the vegetable broth mixture, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until rice absorbs the broth.

5. Now add 1/2  cup (120 ml) of water, and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed.

6. Continue to add broth and water alternatively, cooking and stirring, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid between each addition.

7. When the rice becomes creamy, add the broth and water more sparingly, or the rice will become mushy.

8. Cook until rice is creamy but still al dente, about 25 to 30 minutes total).  Stir in the butter and scatter a little parmesan cheese over the top.  

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