For International Food Day, we have chosen to prepare a classic dish: Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Speck in petals. We are happy to share it with you! First, let’s prepare the broth. Bring about 1 and a half liters of water to a boil with 1/2 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes, and a clove of garlic. Let it simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. After that, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid.
Let’s move on to the preparation of the pumpkin: dice it into evenly sized cubes and cook it with 1/4 finely chopped onion in a pan, using a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, of course. The pumpkin should cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat until it becomes soft and flavorful for the risotto. Meanwhile, we can cut our speck into petals and cook it in a separate pan. Remove it from the pan once it is crispy enough and set it aside for later. After about 10 minutes, we can add a knob of butter to the pan to add creaminess. Stir the pumpkin in for a minute. Once the pumpkin is cooked, we can set it aside.
Before starting the risotto cooking process, there’s a simple yet crucial step: toasting the rice. To toast the rice, you can pass it in a pan for a couple of minutes without anything else. Remove it from the pan when you begin to smell the aroma of the rice grains, reminiscent of bread. After removing the rice from the pan, you can proceed with cooking the risotto: 1. Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the pan and add 1/4 finely chopped onion. Stir with a wooden spoon and add the toasted rice, then deglaze it with a glass of dry white wine. 2. Stir and add the pumpkin to the rice, keeping the heat on medium-low. 3. From this point onward, your task will be to stir and gradually add the broth. Be careful not to add the vegetables from the broth to the rice, only the liquid part. Remember not to add too much broth (to exceed the level of the rice) and to stir continuously. 4. To add extra creaminess in the pan, grate and sprinkle a snowfall of 30-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano into the cooking risotto. 5. After about 15 minutes (if using Carnaroli rice), you can turn off the stove and add a final spoonful of broth. Stir continuously. Enjoy your perfectly prepared risotto!
Let’s proceed with plating the risotto. Now it’s time for our crispy speck: add it on top of the creamy risotto along with some chopped parsley. To finish, drizzle a swirl of extra virgin olive oil over it. The Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Speck is now complete. Enjoy your meal!
