Pumpkin and blue cheese risotto

Risotto with pumpkin and blue cheese .

You already know that recipes with rice are one of the most versatile in our kitchen.

Rice can be prepared in a multitude of completely different ways and in combination with many other things.

It can be part of a delicious salad, accompany a main dish as a garnish or combined with meat and fish or even in completely vegetarian dishes. Yes, it can even be a magnificent dessert.

Today we are going to make a risotto , which is nothing other than a dish originating in northern Italy in which it is combined with cheese, generally Parmesan.

Although we are going to give it a different touch, replacing that variety with blue cheese and incorporating pumpkin, in the style of the typical Italian dish risotto a la zucca .

On the blog you can find many recipes for risottos ( mushrooms , with octopus , saffron , with artichokes and lamb , with boletus and prawns (sea and mountain), with pear and gorgonzola and even with pumpkin and goat cheese ). And we have used Scotti risotto rice, which is perhaps the most easily found in supermarkets and department stores.

Today we are going to add a new combination, a classic risotto with pumpkin and blue cheese, where we will be incorporating the ingredients and adding broth so that it does not remain dry.

As usual, but towards the end of the recipe we will add a blue cheese cream that will give it an even more syrupy texture and a flavor with a lot of personality.

By the way, although you will find the cream already made in your usual supermarket, I recommend you make it at home yourself.

It is very simple and fast (it will not take you more than 15 minutes) and you can also control its consistency and flavor, softening the cream if it is too strong or the opposite …

Preparation of blue cheese cream

1. We put a non-stick frying pan over low heat (3 or 4 out of 10) and place the blue cheese in the center.
2. Go stirring it little by little with a spatula or a wooden spoon so that it melts.
3. When the cheese begins to melt (perhaps it will be necessary to help it dissolve with the spatula) we add the milk, you can start with 50 ml and add more if you find that it is not enough, it all depends on how dense you want the cream; think that we are going to add it to the rice later, so it does not have to be very thick.
4. We stir continuously to encourage the cheese and milk to mix and the lumps to melt.
5. We incorporate a jet of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and continue stirring, always with low heat.
6. When the cheese, milk and oil have mixed well add, if you want to soften the texture and flavor of the cream, a small amount of butter (around 15 gr), and continue stirring until completely incorporated.
7. When you have a uniform cream, sprinkle the nutmeg and stir a couple of minutes more. We test and rectify salt if necessary.
8. We remove the cream from the fire to a bowl or similar, we will use it at the end of the risotto recipe. It can also be used to accompany other dishes.

Preparation of the pumpkin and cheese risotto

1. We cut the onion and chop it very fine.
2. We choose a casserole large enough to cook all the ingredients. We squirt virgin olive oil and fry the onion until golden and soft, over medium heat (4 or 5 out of 10).
3. Peel and chop the pumpkin into small cubes, if you want them to completely dissolve in the rice, make them less than one centimeter, otherwise increase their size a little.
4. There are those who like to find the pieces of vegetables while eating, you decide.
5. We heat the chicken broth, perhaps you do not need everything, it depends on the cooking time of the rice.
6. In any case, if you run out of it, there is no need to worry, you can always add water.
7. We chop the chilli very fine. Add the pumpkin, the chopped chilli, a handful of rosemary and salt to the onion.
8. Stir well and let it fry for about 3 minutes.

Preparation of risotto rice and final presentation

1. Add the rice and stir again so that it mixes with the rest of the ingredients. Take it all for a minute or two.
2. Now we add the wine (half a glass or something less). We remove and raise the heat a point or two so that it evaporates for a couple of minutes.
3. We put again over medium heat and pour the broth until it covers the rice.
4. We stir slowly and let it begin to do. Every time you absorb the broth you have to cover it again, if it runs out, add water (we check then how it goes with salt).
5. Depending mainly on the type of rice, cooking can take 15 to 30 minutes.
6. We are testing little by little and adding broth or water when necessary. Think that we look for a broth and not dry aspect.
7. When you have the rice right at the point you want, add the cream cheese.
8. We stir to mix very well so that it is uniform.
9. We try to rectify salt if necessary and serve immediately, before it begins to dry … Done.

It is best to eat it immediately, the risotto is especially delicious once it has just been made and still has that characteristic broth look.

As you can see that rice is an inexhaustible source of recipes and possibilities. In addition, by preparing it this way with broth and little by little, it absorbs the flavor of the other ingredients and is delicious. Yummy.

Do not miss any detail with this step-by-step preparation of photos of pumpkin risotto and blue cheese recipe

Tips for a yummy risotto

• Don’t buy any rice, try to buy a special rice for risottos. In the ingredients I suggest two, but you can buy the brand you want. The rice will be at its point when it is tender on the outside and with a harder point on the inside. You can try it too, so you will notice that it is al dente.
• The cheese, whatever the type, will be added at the end. Remove the casserole from the heat and mix it stirring gently, the objective is for the cheese to melt with the own heat that the casserole still conserves.
• The risotto should not be loose. On the contrary, the rice grains have to be slightly linked with each other and with a creamy sensation, but without being broth.
• The broth should always be added hot and saucepan by saucepan, on demand for the rice. I recommend that you put it to heat just when you start to poach the onion.
• At first you must add enough broth so that the rice is covered, but not floating. Then we are adding saucepan to saucepan as the rice absorbs the previous one.
• During the entire preparation time, the rice must be removed. It is to help you to release the starch and prevent it from catching when you run out of liquid.