Cooking Orange

Pumpkin Leek Risotto1 large leek, washed, drained and diced
1 cup Arborio short-grained rice
2 eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth of jack-o-lantern, peeled and diced ¼ inch, 2 heaping cups
1 cup light cream
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
freshly grated nutmeg
½ stick butter
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Sauté pumpkin in a bit of canola oil in a non-stick skillet. Meanwhile, in a separate medium pot, sauté leek in a bit of canola oil. When leek is softened and fragrant add the rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Set pumpkin aside off the heat when it has begun to soften and brown a bit.

Add the wine in ½-cup increments to the rice, stirring continuously. Let the wine boil down until spoon leaves a trail in the rice. Whisk light cream with the puréed pumpkin and stir into rice. Simmer until a spoon leaves a trail in the rice. Add the stock in ½ cup increments, stirring the rice continuously, until the rice is just al dente – use as much stock as is necessary. Add the nutmeg, butter vanilla and cheese, and stir until incorporated. Adjust consistency with additional broth to be very creamy.