When the first Delica pumpkins arrive from Italy, every Italian kitchen makes risotto alla zucca. Delica has dense, sweet, almost chestnut-like flesh that melts into the rice and turns it golden and creamy – no cream needed.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 320g Carnaroli rice
- 500g Delica pumpkin (peeled weight), cut into small cubes
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 1.2 litres hot vegetable stock (2 Star stock cubes)
- 100ml dry white wine
- 60g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 40g butter, cold
- Extra virgin olive oil, a few rosemary or sage leaves, salt and black pepper
Method
- Cook the pumpkin. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan, add half the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin and a ladle of stock, cover and cook for 10–12 minutes until soft. Mash about half of it with a fork.
- Toast the rice. In a second pan, soften the rest of the onion in a little olive oil, add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains are translucent at the edges.
- Add the wine and let it evaporate completely.
- Cook the risotto. Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each ladle is absorbed. After 8 minutes, stir in the pumpkin.
- Finish (mantecatura). After about 16–18 minutes in total, when the rice is tender but still has a little bite, take the pan off the heat. Beat in the cold butter and Parmigiano, cover and rest for 2 minutes. The risotto should flow gently – all'onda – when you shake the pan.
- Serve with a few crisp sage or rosemary leaves fried in olive oil and a twist of black pepper.
Francesco's tips
- Carnaroli is the chef's rice: it stays firm while releasing starch, so your risotto is creamy but never mushy.
- For a richer version, finish with a spoon of Gorgonzola or a few cubes of smoked provola.
- Leftovers? Shape into small balls with a cube of mozzarella inside, breadcrumb and fry for pumpkin arancini.
All the ingredients are available at our shop at 110a Dalry Road or online with 2-hour delivery in Edinburgh. Buon appetito!
