October is my favorite month of the year. Not just because I’m an October baby. New England weather is pretty ideal (nothing like a crisp fall morning run!), the leaves are finally changing, and it just starts to get cool enough that I actually want to really cook again. By the time October rolls around, I’m ready to say goodbye to summer foods and welcome squash, pumpkin, root vegetables, the second round of greens, and tummy warming dishes like oatmeal.

Between a full time graduate school load, three jobs, and trying to stay on top of running, teaching spin, and making time for friends, I’m not left with much time to cook. But I like to try to spend one night on the weekend making something delicious that will also leave me with leftovers for the nights that I get home from class starving at 8p.

I’ve never cooked a sugar pumpkin before, but when my roommate brought one home in her CSA, I was excited to try! After getting a few ideas from different cookbooks and my go-to recipe sites, I settled on pumpkin risotto.

Many people believe risotto is really bad for you, but don’t blame the rice – take it out on the chef! Risotto has about 160 calories per serving (1/4 cup dry, which will triple in volume when you cook it). It may not boast the fiber or nutrients of other grains, but there is nothing inherently bad about it. Just choose to add nutrient filled ingredients (like pumpkin!) to boost the nutrition profile.

Risotto is naturally very creamy and rich, but many restaurants still insist on adding an unnecessary amount of butter, cream, and cheese, which really pack in the calories and fat quickly. When I cook it at home, I use low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (or this time, homemade vegetable broth thanks to my roommate!) and don’t add any butter or cream. I go light on the cheese – just adding a bit of shaved parmesan at the end, to taste.

The pumpkin adds a lot to the nutrient profile of this dish. For only 50 calories, 1 cup of pumpkin provides 3g fiber, more than double your daily vitamin A needs, a healthy dose of vitamin C, and many phytonutrients (plant compounds offering health benefits).   Wow!

This dish was a perfect introduction to fall. I ate it as the main dish with a salad on the side for lunch and dinner throughout the week.  It would also make an excellent side dish.

The recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry (or 4 tbsp fresh, chopped) sage
• 2 tbsp chopped, fresh thyme
• 10 medium shiitake mushrooms, sliced with stems removed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup canned pumpkin puree (add more if you want more pumpkin flavor)
• ½ medium sugar pumpkin
• ½ cup shredded parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Preheat oven to 400.

Start by adding dry risotto and 1 cup broth to large sauce pot, bring to boil then lower heat to low-medium and let simmer. As rice absorbs liquid, add more broth, ½ cup at a time. After you’ve added 2 full cups of broth, add the ½ cup wine, then remaining broth in ½ cup increments. Continue to stir frequently so distribute liquid evenly.

While risotto is cooking, peel, seed,  and chop pumpkin into 1 inch cubes and place on large baking sheet. Brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle 1 tbsp dried sage and 1 tbsp thyme. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until pumpkin is soft, but still firm. Though the recipe only uses half a pumpkin, I made it all and then used the rest in salads for the week!

I tried to bake the seeds too, but they were very chewy…any advice on how to better cook them? They also popped in the oven – is this normal?

Note: The pumpkin can be difficult to peel and chop when raw, so I cut it in half, seeded it, then cut into quarters, brushed it with a little olive oil and roasted it for about 10 minutes. I let it cool for a few minutes, then was able to easily peel it and chop it. I then brushed it with the remaining olive oil and topped with sage and thyme and baked it for the remaining 10 minutes. 

While the pumpkin is baking, sauté garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil for one minute, then add shiitakes and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

As the risotto gets close to finished (about ½ to 1 cup broth left to add), add in shiitake mushrooms and the remaining sage and thyme.

Continue to stir risotto. Once all liquid has been absorbed, add pumpkin puree and stir until evenly distributed. Next add in roasted pumpkin cubes and salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Top with shaved parmesan if you like!

Makes 4 main dish servings and 6-8 servings as a side dish.

Have you ever cooked with pumpkin before? What other pumpkin recipes do you suggest? What did you do with the seeds – do you bake them?

- your food and fitness friend