Winter 2005
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1-2 fresh or dried red chiles, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 pound raw pumpkin, seeded, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound Arborio rice
- 2½ pints chicken or vegetable stock, hot
- 3 tablespoons chopped sage
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Salt and pepper
- Sage sprigs
Heat half the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion. Sauté over low heat for five minutes until softened but not browned. Stir in the chiles and cook for one minute. Add the pumpkin and cook, stirring constantly for five minutes.
Add the rice and stir well to coat the grains with the butter. Add the hot stock, a large ladleful at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed into the rice. Continue adding stock in this way, cooking until the rice is creamy but the grains are still firm. This should take about 20 minutes and the pumpkin should start to disintegrate. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the sage, the remaining butter and the Parmesan. Cover the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a few minutes before serving, garnished with sage sprigs.
