Pumpkin and Sage Risotto with a Peppery Rocket Salad

This Week

9 Dec - 15 Dec

Pumpkin and Sage Risotto with a Peppery Rocket Salad

Risotto is a great base for all kinds of vegetables. We have used roasted pumpkin, which we add halfway through the risottos cooking time, allowing it to melt into the sauce – perfectly paired with sage, feta and pine nuts

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Meal Prep Guide

‍Cut ½ a pumpkin into small cubes. (store in a airtight container in the fridge)

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Tips

‍Tips

Serve risotto immediately as it will continue to thicken as it sits.
Arborio rice is the best rice for risottos. Its starchy outer layer helps to absorb the stock and plump up, as well as releasing starch into the cooking liquid creating a creamy thick sauce.
Arborio rice should not be rinsed or you will remove its starch, which helps create that iconic creamy risotto consistency.
White wine is often in risotto – added after toasting the rice. It adds a subtle hint of acidity to the dish to balance the richness. If you have some wine in the house, be sure to throw it in.

Shortcuts

Vegetables

Swap pumpkin for 500g of sliced button mushrooms or a mix of mushrooms. Fry them in the pot you wish to cook your risotto in until cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside, and cook the risotto as per instructions (omitting the pumpkin). Add the mushroom back into the pot at the end with the butter and swap feta for ¼ cup of parmesan.

Protein

Sprinkle over some crispy bacon bits at the end for a little extra indulgence.

Other

Swap feta for ¼ -½ cup of grated parmesan, stir through the risotto at the very end.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Risotto

½ pumpkin (cut into small cubes)
1 onion (finely diced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
6 sage leaves (roughly chopped)
1 bay leaf
1 ⅓ cup arborio rice
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 lemon (juice and zest)
25g butter
100g feta (crumbled)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Burnt butter with crispy sage and pine nuts

25g butter
8 fresh sage leaves
2 Tbsp pine nuts

Rocket salad

½ bag rocket
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

Start by preheating the oven to 200 degrees celsius, fan bake. Once it’s come to temperature, place the pumpkin onto a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, or until golden and tender.
Make a start on the risotto about 15 minutes into the pumpkin roasting, in the meantime prepare the burnt butter sage leaves. Add butter to a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves, fry the leaves for 1 minute or so, then flip them and fry for an additional minute or until they start to crisp, then add the pine nuts and fry until golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve.

Prepare the dressing for the salad, simply combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Pour over the rocket right before serving.

To make the risotto, start by placing the stock into a pot over low heat to keep warm.

Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, sage, bay leaf and a pinch of salt; cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions is soft.
Add the rice to the onion, cook for about 1 minute, stirring to coat each grain of rice in the oil and lightly toast.

Add 1 cup of stock, stir until all the liquid has been absorbed, then add another cup of stock and repeat until about half the stock has been added.
Add the roasted pumpkin, then continue adding 1 cup of stock at a time, until there is no stock left.

Test the rice to check if it’s tender to the bite and creamy in consistency, if not add a little stock or water at a time until then. (The liquid surrounding the rice should resemble the consistency of heavy cream)

Stir in the butter, ¾ of the feta, lemon zest and juice; season to taste.
Serve risotto between four bowls and top with the remaining feta, and the burnt butter and crispy sage.

Variations

Vegetables

Swap pumpkin for 500g of sliced button mushrooms or a mix of mushrooms. Fry them in the pot you wish to cook your risotto in until cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside, and cook the risotto as per instructions (omitting the pumpkin). Add the mushroom back into the pot at the end with the butter and swap feta for ¼ cup of parmesan.

Protein