Pumpkin Risotto with Brown Butter Sage
PLUS fall newborn coziness & becoming a family of four
Fall cozy is hitting me at a different level this year. There is just something about the way changing leaves and October light go together with a newborn that make everything feel extra rich. Maybe it’s the endlessly sunny days, maybe its the post partum hormones, but either way, I am SAVORING and absolutely loving this season.
Sweet baby Isabelle joined our family on September 22nd, arriving on the cusp of the autumnal equinox. Our fall has therefore centered around becoming a family of four - trying to leave enough space to ensure we can easefully and gracefully learn our new routines and welcome our new rhythms together. It’s been intentionally unrushed and somehow, still, so very full.
It’s looked like slow mornings in bed nursing my babe (where I happen to have excellent views of golden tree tops), loud afternoons with a fussy newborn and overtired toddler, and evenings that pass in the blink of an eye — plus quick visits from friends and family, lots of time in the backyard, small outings, gentle hikes, lots of football on the TV during the weekend and lots of old episodes of Great British Bake Off on the TV during the week, ample coffee (and any other warm beverage I can get my hands on), simple soups, lovingly gifted freezer meals, dessert after every meal, and (obviously) infinite baby snuggles.
In other words, it’s been glorious. There have been tiresome moments, of course, and times that patience was in short supply, but all in all this fall has been a dream filled with warm weather, beautiful colors, good food, and so much love.
Cooking hasn’t been a high priority, or even a huge necessity thanks to my mom and several others who made sure our fridge and freezer remained full through this post partum period, but we are still receiving heaping CSA boxes from Winterfell Acres that inspire. Her pie pumpkin sat on my counter for weeks, destined to become a creamy risotto whenever the time felt right.
That moment finally came last week. I poured a glass of prosecco (a rule I have for any recipe that requires this much active stirring time), turned on a spooky playlist, danced with my toddler, handed sweet Isabelle to my husband, and slowly, lovingly prepared a meal for my family on a gorgeous fall evening. It was one of those pinch me kind of moments - where food and family, in all its elegant simplicity, is absolutely all I need.
-Lauren
Pumpkin Risotto with Brown Butter Sage
You do not need to use an onion, a shallot and a leek if these aren’t things you have on hand. Our fall CSA boxes are rich with alliums and I both love to use the bounty and enjoy the complexity of flavors I find with more than one onion-type vegetable in a dish. However, this recipe would be great with two yellow onions instead - or a yellow onion and a couple shallots, or just three leeks. Have fun, experiment, enjoy!
Serves 4
Takes 1 hour, 15 minutes
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1-2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 cup white wine/prosecco (or 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar)
1 cup Arborio rice, rinsed
2 cups diced pumpkin (or butternut squash) - you want very small pieces, about 1/4-inch in size
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan
15-20 sage leaves
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion, shallot and leek(s) along with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly caramelize over 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is a great time to mince your garlic, peel and dice your pumpkin, and prep your other ingredients. Once onions, shallots, and leeks are lightly browned, add sugar and garlic and caramelize 5 minutes longer.
While the onion mixture finishes caramelizing, add chicken or vegetable stock to a medium saucepan and warm over low heat. The goal is to keep it warm but not simmering.
Add wine or vinegar to the onion mixture and deglaze the pan (simmer off the wine/vinegar while scraping any crispy browned bits from the base of the pan into the mixture).
Once the liquid is reduced, add your rice and toast gently over medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of warm broth and the pumpkin. Stir rice mixture with a spatula for 1-2 minutes*, scraping the bottom and sides as you go, until the broth is reduced. Continue alternating adding a ladleful of broth and stirring the rice mixture with a spatula for 1-2 minutes* until all of the broth has been added to the rice and the rice and squash are tender. This should take 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat, add parmesan and cover.
In a small sauté pan, brown the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once browned, turn off heat and add sage. Gently toss with a fork to fry.
When ready to serve, stir parmesan into risotto and divide into four bowls. Top with crispy sage and a drizzle of any remaining brown butter left in the pan.
*For the stirring, you don’t need to be fast or non-stop but you do need to stir the mixture for about half the cook time to really get a good risotto (in my experience). The reason for the semi-consistent stirring is to release the starches in the rice. This helps to make the risotto creamy. It also keeps anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
I usually stir for 30 (ish) seconds after adding the broth, have a sip of wine or prosecco, wash a couple dishes, and then return for another 30 (ish) seconds before adding the next spoonful of broth. I find this yields yummy risotto while also helping me have a fairly clean kitchen by the time the meal is complete.