Pumpkin and sausage risotto

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli rice
• 500 g frozen diced pumpkin (e.g., Orogel)
• 300 g sausage
• 1 shallot
• 1 L vegetable stock
• 40 g white wine
• 50 g butter (20 g + 30 g)
• 40 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
• 20 g extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• rosemary (as needed)
• salt (as needed)
• black pepper (as needed)

Method

1. Peel the shallot and slice thinly.
2. Remove the sausage casing and finely chop the meat.
3. Melt 20 g butter in a pot and add the chopped shallot.
4. Sweat the shallot with a ladle of stock for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the rice and toast for 1 minute, then add the sausage.
6. Once the sausage is nicely browned, deglaze with the white wine.
7. Let the wine evaporate and continue cooking, adding stock little by little and stirring often.
8. Cook the rice for about 18–20 minutes.
9. Once the pumpkin is cooked, remove and discard the rosemary sprigs.
10. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and add the pumpkin cubes, keeping a handful aside for garnish.
11. Stir in the grated Parmigiano and the remaining 30 g butter.
12. Serve, topping with the reserved pumpkin.

Storage

Keeps for up to 1 day in the fridge. Not recommended to freeze.

Tip

This version uses two separate cooking steps to get two textures and preserve pumpkin flavor. You can also cook the pumpkin directly in the risotto.