Tim’s First Date Risotto

Serves 4

Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

300g pumpkin, chopped into 2 cm dice⁣

½ tsp ground cumin⁣

2 tbsp olive oil⁣

2 leeks, thinly sliced (white part only)⁣

200g mushrooms, sliced⁣

6 rashes of bacon, chopped⁣

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped⁣

90g butter, chopped⁣

1¾ cups of Arborio rice⁣

½ cup white wine⁣

3 cups chicken stock⁣

3 cups water⁣

½ cup chives, finely chopped⁣

½ cup grated parmesan + extra to serve⁣

Salt & Pepper⁣

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place chopped pumpkin into a roasting dish. Add cumin, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Toss to combine⁣. Roast pumpkin in the oven for 20 minutes or until just soft. Remove and set aside⁣.

In a pot, bring the stock and water to boil. Once boiled, reduce heat to low to keep hot⁣.

Melt 30g of butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, leek and bacon. Fry for 5 minutes or until the leek is soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add the Arborio rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes or until the wine has soaked in⁣.

Add stock and water mix to the rice 1 ladle at a time, stirring continuously between each ladle, only adding a new ladle once the liquid has soaked in. This will take between 20-25 minutes. It’s very important that you are continuously stirring during this time or your risotto will become gluey.

When you add your last ladle of stock, also add the roast pumpkin and stir until the pumpkin is heated through⁣. Turn off the heat and add remaining 60g of butter, grated parmesan and chives. Stir to combine⁣.

Season to taste⁣ and serve with extra chives and grated parmesan on top⁣.