Butternut Pumpkin Risotto

i just had a painful tooth extraction a week ago and i've virtually been surviving on semi-solid food. that means porridge oats or cookies dunk in milk. really boring actually. i wanted something for a change and came across this butternut pumpkin risotto recipe which looks really really delicious. it uses vanilla bean in the pumpkin puree and it makes me wonder how vanilla could find its way into savory dishes so i was curious to give it a try.

prior to this i've never had butternut pumpkin/squash and i really love its orange hue and sweet nutty flavor. albeit expensive, its worth every penny. this risotto is actually more sweet than savory and its really very delicious! hubby and i wolfed it down within two seconds :p with the vanilla bean it feels more like a dessert than main so i added more cheese to make it extra savory. and i think i still need more practice when it comes to making risotto, mine always turn out somewhat dry. this one is definitely better than my last but i really want one thats creamy, wet and with grains still intact. i'm getting there (i think).

recipe source : trissalicious

ingredients (serves 2-4 as a starter) :

for the risotto :

50ml olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped (i used regular white onion)

150g risotto rice

500ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (i used whipping cream)

4-6 tbsp butternut squash puree (recipe below)

50g diced butter

salt & pepper to taste

parmesan shavings, english chives & toasted walnuts to serve

for the butternut squash puree :

1kg butternut pumpkin

150g butter

1 vanilla pod, split

sea salt

directions :

1. to make the butternut squash puree, peel, deseed and dice the butternut squash. melt the butter in a pan.

2. add the squash and cook for about 15 minutes over a medium heat until very soft.

3. whiz in a blender until smooth.

4. scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir them into the puree. season with salt to taste.

5. to make the risotto base, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the shallots for 5 minutes to soften.

6. add the rice and cook, stirring for a minute.

7. add the stock, a cup at a time.

8. once the rice starts to absorb the liquid, continue to add more stock until the rice is plump, and al dente. this will take around 30 minutes.

9. stir in the parmesan, cream and squash puree until evenly combined.

10. finally, add the butter cubes, stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.

11. to serve, divide among warm plates. scatter with parmesan shavings, toasted walnuts and chives.