Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. sage
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 -4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the butter and oil together in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring continuously, just until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and continue to stir, using a wooden spoon, to coat the rice with the oil. Add 1 cup of the stock. Cook, stirring constantly until the liquid is almost all absorbed. Continue stirring and adding stock one cup at a time until the stock is all absorbed and the rice is tender. This will take about 20 minutes. You don’t want the rice to get mushy – it should have a small “bite” to it. Add the pumpkin and parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon it immediately into heated shallow serving bowls.
This sounds great! Should I start with cooked rice or should it be raw? (Do you call rice “raw”?) Can I substitute the brown basmati rice I already have for the arborio rice? Thanks!
You need to start with uncooked rice. Arborio rice is a short-grained rice (almost round) with more starch than other rices, thus it is a “sticky” rice much like the one used for making sushi. It absorbs the chicken stock and produces a very creamy risotto with a slight “bite” to the center. No, basmati rice would not work as well.