Delicious and creamy risotto with pumpkin and thyme, completely simple and fantastically beautiful. This risotto is super easy to make, it’s all made in the same pot – and you get the most delicious creamy risotto with a wonderfully mild and delicate taste.

Pumpkin risotto is clearly one of my favourites, along with my risotto with chanterelles and tomato risotto – but risotto, in general, is now just a big favourite at home. I like to use Hokkaido pumpkin in this recipe, but butternut can also be used with advantage.

Ingredients

400 g risotto rice
1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin
4 shallots, finely chopped (it should correspond to a regular onion)
4 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, only the leaves – approx. 2 teaspoons dried thyme
150 g parmesan, finely grated
9 dl broth, I use chicken or vegetable broth
40 ml dry white wine (or Noilly Prat, – it also tastes great)
50 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Possibly. a little parmesan and various greens for the top

Here’s how you do it

• Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and threads. Cut into small cubes, – they should not be much larger than 0.5×0.5 cm. Some of the cubes will “cook out” in the risotto and others will retain their shape – this gives a nice creamy risotto with a good body.

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the pumpkin, onion and garlic together with the thyme for approx. 10 min., – it must not brown. Season with salt and pepper.

• Add the rice and fry for 3-5 minutes. on medium heat, add if necessary a little more oil so they don’t burn.

• Pour white wine over and let it reduce by half.

• Add the bouillon a little at a time and cook the risotto over low-medium heat until the rice is al-dante, approx. 20 min., – add boullion along the way so the result is creamy and delicious.

• Finally, stir grated Parmesan into the risotto, season with salt and pepper, and adjust if necessary. the consistency with additional hot broth if the risotto has become too firm.

• Serve the risotto with a fine sprinkling of parmesan, pepper and possibly a little green.