A great Italian recipe that is surely a great hit to anyone who like rice. A simple gourmet recipe that blows mind of first timers all around the world.

1. A rich and creamy Italian rice dish, risotto is a heartwarming meal that can be served as an appetizer, a side
dish or a main dish. This simple gourmet recipe adapted from the Hotel Cipriani by Orient Express Hotels
and made by Chef Renato Piccolotto is flavored with pumpkin and rosemary. Simple yet elegant, risotto
with pumpkin and rosemary is best enjoyed with a bottle of Cotes du Rhone.
For a truly delicious risotto, only use Italian rice especially meant for cooking risotto for this delicious
gourmet food. These are short-grain round rice that contains a lot of starch and absorbs a lot more liquid
than regular rice without becoming mushy. Some of the popular Italian rice varieties for making risotto
include Aroborio, Carnaroli, Nano, Baldo, and Vialone. When cooked, this kind of rice becomes lusciously
creamy, sticky, and compact.
Cooking risotto takes a lot more effort, care, and patience than cooking regular rice. The rice needs to be
sautéed first in butter and some onions until the grains turn a glassy appearance but not brown. Chicken or
beef bouillon is then added to the rice but the bouillon needs to be simmering when it is added to the
sautéed grains. If the liquid is added cold, it will result in unevenly cooked or hard kernels. Unlike regular
rice where all the required liquid is already poured in the pot together with the rice and you only wait for it
to cook completely, the liquid in the risotto is gradually added, a cup at a time, and wait for the rice to
absorb the bouillon before pouring the next one, until the rice becomes tender and creamy.
The pumpkin should already be cooked before you add it to the rice. It should also not be cold, and ideally
warm. To cook the pumpkin, peel and dice and sauté in butter with some onions and garlic until it becomes
tender and starts to fall apart. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.
Ingredients
8 ½ teaspoons minced onion
7 tablespoons butter
2/3 lb. round rice (Carnaroli)
about 12 ¾ cups beef or chicken bouillon
½ lb. Fondo di Zucca (pumpkin with garlic and rosemary)
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
3 ½ tabelespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt, pepper
1. In a pot, allow the bouillon to simmer over low heat.
2. In a pan, sauté the onions in butter. Once the onions change color, add the rice, covering every grain with
butter. Stir gently and cook until the rice turns glassy.
3. Add 4 cups hot bouillon and bring to a boil. Add more bouillon from time to time. Stir continuously and
wait until the bouillon is almost evaporated before adding more bouillon. Take care that the bouillon does
not evaporate too much.
4. Continue cooking until the rice is tender and creamy. When the rice is half cooked, add the cooked
pumpkin.
5. Once the rice is entirely cooked, remove it from the heat and mix with butter and Parmesan. Season with
salt and pepper.
6. Serve the risotto on a warm dish, decorated with rosemary.