Rice dishes 

Pumpkin risotto – serves 4 

Ingredients:

1 shallot

4/5 tablespoons of olive oil

A splash of white wine

400 g (about 2 ½ cups) of “vialone nano” rice  (round shaped medium length grain rice)

300 g diced pumpkin

A sprig of rosemary

About 1 ½ lt vegetable stock

1 teaspoon vegetable stock granules

100 g taleggio cheese (soft rind cheese) or any other tasty meltable cheese

50 g grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetable stock with a large white onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, a bunch of parsley, a zucchini and a big potato. Chop the vegetables and place them in a large pot and cover with about 2 lt water. Bring to a boil, add some kitchen salt, reduce the heat and simmer for at least and hour until the vegetables are tender. Strain out the vegetables, season with the vegetable stock granules and keep the stock warm over low heat. 

Peel the shallot, chop it finely and put it in a pan with some olive oil over low heat for a few minutes, then add the diced pumpkin and the rosemary finely chopped, salt, pepper and some water and let simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the ingredients have blended in well.  Turn off and set aside. Prepare the rice and discard any impurity. Do not soak or rinse the rice before cooking. Put a little oil in a pan and toast the rice on high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Pour in the wine, let it evaporate and then lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the risotto by adding two ladles of  warm vegetable stock. Stir in the pumpkin and shallot mixture, add another couple of ladles of stock, stir and let evaporate before adding more stock. The rice will take about 18 minutes or more to cook (according to one’s taste), you must keep checking to know if the rice is cooked to your liking and you may not need all the stock that you’ve prepared. Risotto should have body, but not be mushy or starchy,  the texture has to be loose and creamy.  When the risotto is almost done turn off the heat, blend in the diced taleggio and the grated parmesan cheese and stir well until the taleggio has melted. Let the risotto stand for about a minute or two before serving. The best pot for risotto is a low and wide copper pot because this metal conducts heat quickly and evenly, otherwise a stainless steel pot will be fine.