And of course the cold weather is the perfect excuse to spend an evening tucked up at home keeping warm with some delicious food.
This risotto recipe is perfect for those cold evenings, and also makes use of the delicious and versatile pumpkin, which is a staple of this time of year. There is an amazing range of varieties you can choose from, and they are available cheaply and in abundance – you can pick one up from your local farmers market for just a couple of dollars.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Roast pumpkin
1 medium pumpkin (I used butternut), peeled and cut into 3-4 cm chunks
1 Tbsp Garlic-infused olive oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Risotto
1 tbsp olive oil
Splash of garlic-infused olive oil
50g butter
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cups carnaroli rice
½ cup white wine
1 L vegetable stock, heated
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
Feta & sliced almonds to top
METHOD
Roast pumpkin
1. Pre-heat oven to 180° on bake.
2. In a roasting dish, drizzle the pumpkin with garlic-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
3. Place sprigs of rosemary in with the pumpkin and roast for approximately 30 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and starting to brown.
Risotto
1. While the pumpkin is roasting, place stock in a covered saucepan and heat gently.
2. In a large saucepan place olive oil, garlic-infused oil, butter and rosemary and cook over a medium-low heat until the butter is melted.
3. Stir in the rice, then add wine and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add stock 1 ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Wait until each ladle is fully absorbed before adding the next. Cook until rice is al dente, stir through spinach, then remove from the heat. Note that the amount of stock needed can be quite variable, so you may not need to add all of it.
5. Add in the roast pumpkin, and then serve with crumbled feta and sliced almonds to top.