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Cooking
Italian Pumpkin Risotto with Meatballs
· 4 servings
Chop the shallot
Finely chop the shallot. Try to keep the pieces as even as possible, otherwise some bits may end up slightly burnt while others haven't turned properly translucent yet.
Heat up the pot
Place a stainless steel pot with a fairly thick base on the stove and turn the heat up to full. Let it heat through, then add a piece of butter or a splash of olive oil. As soon as the butter melts (or the oil is in), add the shallot.
Add the rice to the shallot
You can turn the heat down slightly, but not too much. Fry the shallot until translucent. Turn the heat back up to full and pour in the dry rice.
Stir constantly
Stir vigorously and don't stop. The rice will change colour as it fries, which takes about two to three minutes. Keep stirring the whole time so the rice and shallot don't burn. Now season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the wine
Pour the wine over the toasted rice, still with the heat on full. Stir and wait until all the wine has evaporated from the rice and there's no liquid left in the pot. Now it's time for the hot stock, which you'll have already heated in a separate pot on the next burner.
Just below the surface
Always add just enough stock so the rice is barely covered. The rice grains shouldn't be sticking out, but there shouldn't be too much liquid either.
Tip: add the stock carefully
If you misjudge the amount of stock near the end of cooking, you'll end up waiting for the liquid to absorb while the rice overcooks in the meantime. That's why you should always add one ladleful at a time, stir, wait for the liquid to be absorbed, and only then add the next ladleful.
Pumpkin purée
Cut the pumpkin into chunks and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take it out and blend until smooth. It's best to make the purée ahead and simply reheat it later.
Add the purée, keep adding stock and tasting
Add the pumpkin purée right after the first batch of stock. Keep tasting as you go. If the dish needs more salt, season early so it has time to soak into the rice grains, not just the sauce.
Meatballs
Mix together the ground meat, salt, pepper, egg and Parmesan, kneading it into a smooth mixture. Shape into small meatballs and brown them in a little oil.
Tender rice
After about 20 to 25 minutes, the risotto should be ready. The only way to know if it's done is to taste it and check whether the rice is soft enough – it definitely shouldn't be mushy or overcooked.
Finishing with Parmesan
Take the finished risotto off the heat. Have some chilled butter, cut into a few pieces, and grated Parmesan ready. Add both into the pot and stir vigorously until the butter and cheese have fully melted in.
Serving
This final step will thicken the risotto and round out the flavour. Serve immediately on warmed plates. Give the bottom of each plate a few firm taps with your palm – a properly made risotto should spread out beautifully across the plate.