Sugar Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach Pecan Pesto
An elegant fall dinner bursting with harvest flavors. A lovely vegetarian option for Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients
Sugar Pumpkin Risotto
Spinach Pecan Pesto
Instructions
Sugar Pumpkin Risotto
  1. Cut pumpkin in half, and scoop out seeds and guts. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 400º, until soft (about 30-40) minutes). Scoop out pumpkin flesh. (This can be done up to 2 days in advance.)
  2. Slice vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Simmer pumpkin in stock with vanilla seeds and pod for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pod and puree until smooth.
  3. Pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a medium pot, and heat over a medium-low flame. Add onions and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add unrinsed rice and actively stir for two minutes. Don’t let it burn or stick, but make sure each grain is coated with oil and toasted. Add wine and stir until it almost evaporates.
  4. Now you cook the risotto for 22 minutes. Add about 1/2 c pumpkin stock whenever the rice starts to look dry. Stir frequently. Adjust the heat so that it will take 20 minutes to absorb it all. Grate nutmeg into the risotto. Once all the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and add butter and Parmesan. Gently stir. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately with a dollop of spinach pesto. Eat by taking just a bit of pesto with each bite.
Spinach Pecan Pesto
  1. Add nuts, garlic, spinach, cheese, a generous pinch of sea salt and a pinch of black pepper to a food processor with a steel blade. Pulse a few time to get it going. Then turn it on and slowly stream in the olive oil. Watch the pesto as you add the oil. You want a loose consistency, but not too liquidy. Adjust as needed.
  2. Taste the pesto and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pesto. This helps preserve the green color and gives it a hint of brightness. Pulse to perfection. Enjoy your pesto right away, or place a bit of plastic wrap directly on the pesto while you cook. This also helps preserve the color.
Recipe Notes

VEGAN OPTION

This recipe is almost vegan as is, so just omit the Parmesan cheese and butter. You can finish the risotto with a swirl of toasted pumpkin seed oil and a sprinkling of black Hawaiian sea salt.

ELEGANT OPTION

To elevate your presentation, serve in a roasted pumpkin shell like we did. Simple follow the directions in Step 1 with additional pumpkins. Place pesto in warm roasted pumpkin shells and invite guest to eat the pumpkin flesh with their risotto.

EASY OPTION

Buy a high quality pumpkin or butternut squash soup. Heat it up and flavor with 1 T vanilla bean paste. Make the rest of the recipe as is. You could also use farmer’s market pesto instead of making your own. (Grocery store pesto will not be the same.)

Recipe by Rebecca Cofiño for Mamaguru