Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Feast magazine

4 small pumpkins + 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree*
2 tbs + 1 tbs canola or grapeseed oil
1 tbs + 1 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs + 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves (or 1/2 tsp cloves)
1 tsp ground white pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups white rice
1/3 cup Riesling or white wine
1/2 cup parmesan 
2 tsp chopped sage

Add the allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, cloves, and white pepper to a small pot with the stock. 
Heat until steaming and then reduce heat to low.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice off the tops of each pumpkin and hollow them out by scooping out the meat and discarding the seeds.
Place flesh in a bowl and place the hollowed pumpkins on a baking sheet. 
Pour a teaspoon of oil inside each pumpkin and then use your fingers to rub the inside and outside of each pumpkin with it. 
Sprinkle the insides lightly with truffle or regular salt.
Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool.

Chop the pumpkin flesh into small pieces.
Bring a large frying pan to medium heat and add 2 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter. 
Cook the pumpkin and 2 tbs of shallots on medium to low heat, until tender... about 7 minutes.
Season with salt and adjust, according to taste.
Set aside in a separate bowl.

Using the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil and the rest of the butter. 
When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the remaining shallots and cook till translucent. 
Add the rice and saute for a few minutes until you hear the rice sizzle and crack.
When the rice becomes about 70 percent translucent, pour the Riesling into the pan and stir until entirely evaporated.
Add 1/2 cup of seasoned stock and stir until absorbed.
Continue to add stock and stir until the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes total.
Try not to overcook the rice by tasting occasionally and constantly stir to prevent the rice from burning.
Once cooked, stir the pureed pumpkin mixture along with the parmesan cheese into the rice. 
Stir in half of the sage.
Place the finished risotto into the hollowed pumpkins and garnish with sage. 
Serve warm; reheat for 5 minutes in the oven if need be.

Notes: 
*I didn't have that much flesh inside the pumpkins so I added extra puree that contained no added sugar*
*If making this without real pumpkins, I would use a whole can of puree*
*You may or may not use the entire stock, I had a little bit left over and only used as much as I needed for the rice to cook through. I also didn't want my risotto too watery, which is the traditional way (Sorry, Tom!)
*Halfway through cooking, I added ground cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and white pepper to the rice to amplify the spices, but that's up to you.
*Always add hot or warm stock to risotto, or you may result in unevenly cooked rice.
*You can reserve the stock so that if you have leftovers of the risotto and need to reheat it, you may add some stock to keep it from drying out.
thesweetart.com