Pumpkin Risotto

I love making risotto. There’s something therapeutic about it- adding broth to the rice, stirring, watching it gently bubble and slowly absorb into the rice, adding more broth so the rice stays nice and moist…it used to intimidate me, but  now I really enjoy the process. You might think I’m a little crazy (and maybe I am), but if you have never made risotto before, you should seriously try it! 🙂 

The thing that makes this recipe unique is the addition of pumpkin, sage, and nutmeg. Delicious fall flavors come together in this creamy, comforting risotto. 
 
And since the recipe calls for white wine, pour yourself a glass while you cook!

Ingredients: 

5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, for all my vegetarians out there)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. freshly chopped sage
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
¾ cup dry white wine
¾ cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
 
 
Directions:
 
1. Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan. Keep on simmer.
 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally (about 4 or 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic and sage.
 
3. To the same skillet, add the rice and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir for one minute to allow the rice to toast slightly.  Reduce the heat to low. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is absorbed.
 
4. Stir in just enough warm broth to cover the rice. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed most of the broth. Now add some more broth so it just covers the rice, and continue to cook until most of the broth is absorbed. Continue this process until you are up to your final batch of broth. Before you add the last of the broth to the pan, stir the pumpkin puree and nutmeg into the mixture. This whole process of combining the rice and the broth should take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. When the rice is creamy and al dente, remove the pan from the heat (do a taste test to be sure).
 
5. Stir in the parmesan cheese, butter, parsley, and some fresh ground pepper.
 
Enjoy!