Risotto with pumpkin, California Prunes and sausage
Recipe by: Sonia Peronaci
The sweet, earthy notes of California Prunes perfectly complement the creamy pumpkin, creating an unforgettable meal everyone will enjoy.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Ingredients
- 1 Mosquee de Provence Pumpkin (approx. 5kg)
- 400g Carnaroli rice
- 600g Pumpkin pulp
- 100g Pitted California Prunes
- 300g Sausage
- 150g Taleggio cheese
- 100g Onion
- 200mL White wine
- 50g Extra-virgin olive oil
- 50g Butter
- 80g Parmesan cheese
- 1.5L Vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
To garnish:
- 10g Hazelnut kernels
- 10g Hulled pumpkin seeds
Directions
- Start your recipe by preparing the pumpkin that will serve as a container for serving your risotto.
- Slit the top of the pumpkin to remove what will become the ‘soup tureen lid’. Remove all the seeds and filaments from the lid and inside. With the help of a spoon, now hollow out the pumpkin evenly by removing the pulp: you should obtain about 600 g of pulp. Keep it aside in a bowl.
- Now prepare the ingredients you will need to make the rice.
- First of all, boil the pulp obtained from the pumpkin using about half of the vegetable stock.
- This will take 15-20 minutes. Once boiled, blend it all together using an immersion blender and set aside.
- Remove the casing from the sausage and coarsely shell it by hand. Heat a non-stick frying pan and brown the sausage, shelling it evenly while browning. When it is well browned and has lost most of its fat, drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Cut the taleggio cheese into 1-2 cm cubes and set aside. Cut the prunes into thin slices (julienne).
Make the Risotto
- In a large, shallow pan, wilt the finely chopped onion.
- Once wilted, add the rice, stir for 1-2 minutes and then deglaze with white wine and start cooking the rice. Use the vegetable stock initially, then continue with the mashed pumpkin pulp, using the stock where necessary.
- About halfway through cooking add the browned sausage, keeping a small amount aside for the final decoration.
- Once the risotto is almost ready, but still al dente, turn off the flame and stir in the butter, oil and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Then add the julienne-cut prunes, keeping a small amount aside for the final garnish, and stir well to mix everything together.
- Now transfer the finished risotto to the hollowed-out pumpkin, then garnish with a few pieces of browned sausage, a few slices of prune, the hazelnut kernels and pumpkin seeds.
- Now close the pumpkin with its lid and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
Bring to the table, open your pumpkin and serve immediately!
