Pumpkin Risotto with Gorgonzola Sauce

Today I am back with a typical Italian recipe.  This is a dish that well represents Lombardy, the region where I was born.  Milan is very famous for its risotto and pumpkin is often used in our cooking.  Gorgonzola, my favourite cheese ever, is a blue cheese originally from the town of Gorgonzola, very close to my home town. Basically, this recipe is Lombardy on a plate!  And I love it.  The roasted pumpkin is sweet, smooth and velvety and the Gorgonzola sauce adds that little spiciness required to achieve perfect balance.  I like to serve this with the cheese sauce at the bottom, so you can enjoy the 2 different flavours separately or mix them while you eat.  It also makes for a beautiful presentation, just in case you are in the mood to impress someone. Hehehe  Enjoy and buon appetito!

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Pumpkin Risotto with Gorgonzola Sauce

Pumpkin Risotto with Gorgonzola Sauce - a traditional recipe with all the flavours of Northern Italy!

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

• 320 gms – 11.5 oz. rice Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone nano
• 450 gms – 1 lb. pumpkin
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50 ml –  ¼ cup white wine
• 1 lt – 4 cups beef or vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
• 30 gms – 2 tbsp butter
• Salt to taste
• 250 gms – 8.5 oz. gorgonzola
• 150 ml – 5.5 oz. cream

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the roasted pumpkin.  Slice it and put it on an oven tray lined with baking paper.  Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
2. Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 180°C – 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked.
3. Remove the skin from the cooked pumpkin and blend it. Keep aside.
   
4. Put the stock in a pot and heat it on the fire.  The stock has to be hot all the time while you are cooking risotto, so that the rice temperature does not drop when you add the stock to it.
5. Put the finely chopped onion and the 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pot and let it cook on a slow fire, until the onion becomes soft and transparent.
6. Add the rice, mix well and let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until it becomes translucent.
7. Now pour in the white wine and let the alcohol burn off by cooking on a high flame.
8. Then add enough hot stock to cover the rice and turn the fire to medium-low.  Keep cooking, occasionally stirring the rice and adding hot stock little by little, until the rice is cooked.  It is going to take approximately 18 to 20 minutes depending on the rice you are using.
9. After the first 15 minutes, add the roasted pumpkin purée and keep cooking the rice.
10. In a separate pot, melt the gorgonzola together with the cream.
    
11. When the rice is ready, put the fire off and add the butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix very well, until the rice becomes creamy. Make sure that your risotto is moist (or, as we say, all’onda – which literally means wavy) and not sticky. You can do that by adding 1 or 2 extra tbsp of hot stock if needed. Check for salt and season to your liking.
    
12. Serve your risotto hot, with the gorgonzola sauce at the bottom of the plate.

Recipe Notes

Do not wash the rice before cooking it.  You want to keep the starch in it, as that is what makes risotto naturally creamy.