Pumpkin, feta and sage risotto

Risotto on a cold Canberra evening always goes down a treat. This is one of the few risottos I make that doesn't change. I've made it so many times that it's pretty much part of my DNA. My boyfriend and I love this risotto. I hope you enjoy it too. If you don't want it to be a purely vegetarian affair, add 100 gr of prosciutto as well.

Pumpkin and feta risotto (Recipe by Stef @ Essential ingredients)

Serves 4 - 6

1 litre chicken stock

1 tbsp olive oil

30 gr butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely diced

1 ½ c aborio rice

½ c dry white wine

1/3 cup grated parmesan

500 gr kent pumpkin, cubed

100 gr spinach

125 gr Danish feta, cubed

¼ c pinenuts, toasted

12 sage leaves

salt to taste

Step 1: Prepare the stock

Place the stock and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer.

Step 2: Prepare the risotto base

Place the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onions to the pan. Cook the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice to the pot and stir to coat with the oil. Cook the, stirring, for a few minutes until the rice is opaque.

Step 3: Cooking the rice

Pour the wine in the sides of the pan, stirring until absorbed. Add 8 finely chopped sage leaves and stir to combine.

Add the stock to the rice, ½ cup at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue to add the stock to the rice in ½ cup batches until the liquid is absorbed. Total cooking time should be about 35 minutes, or until the rice is just tender.

Step 4: Prepare the pinenuts and pumpkin (Note: be sure to keep an eye on your risotto stirring as needed if you’re going to do this step while the rice is cooking)

Preheat an oven to 180 C (160 C fan forced). Place the pinenuts on a tray and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, take the skin off the pumpkin and cut into cubes. Place the pumpkin in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain the pumpkin and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Mash 300 gr of the pumpkin and set aside.

In a separate saucepan heat 30 gr of butter with a little oil and 4 of the sage leaves. Place the remaining 200 gr of the cubed pumpkin in the saucepan and cook for a few minutes, until browned, on one side the turn and repeat. When the pumpkin is nicely browned, place it on a piece of absorbent kitchen paper and set aside.

Step 5: Finishing the risotto

Add the parmesan to the risotto and stir through. Then add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until wilted. Stir through the pumpkin puree, toasted pinenuts and cubed feta. Take the risotto off the heat and add the browned pumpkin. Gently stir to distribute the pumpkin through the risotto. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.