Pumpkin and Sage Risotto
[I created this cozy Pumpkin and Sage Risotto for Earth Fare!]
It took me way too long to try making risotto. For some reason, I thought it would be really difficult.
Or I thought it was really easy to mess up.
But this Pumpkin and Sage Risotto taught me a lesson. When you don’t try something because you’re afraid it will be too hard, or you’re afraid you’ll mess up, you might end up missing out on something really delicious.
Just another addition of Life Lessons from the Kitchen.
My cousin recently made People Magazine’s list of 25 Women Changing the World. This adds to her long list of public praise and recognition (including being named as one of Time’s People of the Year in 2014) for the work she’s done with her charity.
In a recent interview she did with Forbes, Katie named one of her favorite sayings:
Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the ability to act in spite of it.
I really love that saying, and even though making risotto for the first time isn’t exactly courageous, I do think remembering those words can help us step outside of our comfort zones in everyday life.
Because when you just suck it up and go for it…whatever it is…you might just stumble across something amazing.
Or delicious, in the case of Pumpkin and Sage Risotto.
P.S. Now that I’ve conquered risotto, I’ll share a few tips that I found helpful along the way:
- Have all of your ingredients measured and ready before you start.
- Use a low-sodium broth so that you can adjust seasoning to your taste.
- Don’t wander too far away while you’re cooking—a great risotto should be stirred frequently.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Aborio rice
- 2 tbs organic butter
- 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
- ½ cup water
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs minced fresh sage leaves
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesean
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the broth and water to a pot and warm it over medium-low heat (the risotto will cook better if you add liquid that is already warm).
- Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed pot and add minced shallot, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for several minutes until mix becomes fragrant.
- Add the rice to the pot and stir, cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the grains of rice are starting to become translucent around the edges. Then add the white wine and cook until it is absorbed.
- Add about one cup of the warmed broth/water mix at a time and stir consistently until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining liquid, one cup at a time.
- When you add the final cup of broth, add the pumpkin puree as well, stirring to combine and cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed, but risotto is still creamy.
- Remove risotto from the heat and add in grated cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper and garnish with fried sage leaves.Serve immediately.
Notes
*To make fried sage leaves, heat a little butter in a small pan and add sage leaves, frying and then draining on a paper towel. They will crisp as they cool.
2 responses to “Pumpkin and Sage Risotto”
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I’m so glad you finally made risotto! I have actually taught kids how to make it, it’s that easy, as you now know. I’ve thrown pumpkin and just about everything I could think of in risotto and it’s always wonderful. Recently I added beets and beet juice. It came out so good. Keep cooking!
Yeah it was so much easier than I thought! I gotta try with beets!!