Ingredients
Sauteed Mushrooms:
- 1 tbsp avocado oil + 1 tsp butter (or more oil)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 9 medium crimini mushrooms (250g), cleaned and sliced*
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1-2 tbsp dry white wine
Pumpkin Risotto:
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp butter (or more oil)
- 1 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese or Parmesan (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
Sauteed Mushrooms:
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter if using.
- Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minutes. Add the mushrooms, rosemary, and thyme, and toss. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 10 more minutes stirring frequently. Take off the heat and set aside until ready to serve.
Pumpkin Risotto:
- Combine the vegetable stock and canned pumpkin in a small saucepan and warm up over medium heat. The rest goes fast so make sure you have everything ready.
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil and the yellow onion. Saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds just until fragrant.
- Add the butter, and the arborio rice. Toast it for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the wine to deglaze the pot. Wait for it to evaporate 1-3 minutes but don’t let it burn. Lower the heat to medium.
- Start adding the warm pumpkin stock mixture into the rice. Add 1-2 ladles at a time while stirring constantly. Always wait for the rice to soak up most of the liquid before adding more but don’t let it burn. It’s really a simple process once you get the hang of it. This takes 15-20 minutes until you use up all the liquid. Taste the rice and add more of it’s still too hard.
- When almost done, add the balsamic vinegar, Pecorino, sea salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking.
- Stir in half of the sauteed mushroom and serve immediately topped with more mushrooms and Pecorino.
Notes
Never soak your mushrooms, they’re like a sponge. Just wipe any dirt off with a wet paper towel. Choose organic mushrooms whenever possible because they soak up any pesticides really easily.
Pecorino and Parmesan: If you’re vegetarian, read the labels of your cheese and make sure they are vegetarian. Some pecorino and parmesan are made with sheet rennett but there are vegetarian versions on the market.
Making Arborio Risotto: Making risotto is a simple process but it can be daunting at first. It’s just a matter of adding more and more liquid until the rice is soft and creamy while constantly stirring. Don’t walk away from it, it will burn. You should have everything ready before you start because you won’t have time while you’re stirring.
A good risotto shouldn’t be too thick, it should spread out when you ladle it on a shallow plate and shake it gently.
Balsamic vinegar: As strange as it might sound, it balances all the flavors and adds another layer of flavor. You can’t really taste it, it just adds that little something.
Storing: Risotto doesn’t store very well, it will become very thick as it sits. If you need to, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat it, add it to a saucepan with a good splash of water to make it creamy again and gently warm up. As it cooks again it might be mushier than before.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 656
- Sugar: 11.7 g
- Sodium: 1165.4 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 101.3 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 18.9 g
