The golden October is here and what better occasion than this, to make a pumpkin recipe. Look at these colours! Stunning! Risotto filled butternut squash is a great comfort and as such, a perfect autumn meal. Buttery and kind of a sweet roasted squash makes a great combination with creamy black risotto. Try to make this delicious risotto filled butternut squash next time you are holding a pumpkin in your hands.
As said, October is the pumpkin month. Pumpkins are everywhere. I just love the bright yellow and orange colours. Not only are they beautiful and tasty, but also healthy. For instance, butternut squash is rich in Vitamin A and C, it’s a source of antioxidants and magnesium. Therefore, I take advantage of the cold months and eat as much pumpkin I can. Wink.
However, I love all the pumpkins. Here you can check my other recipes and maybe you’ll get inspired: Autumn pasta with pumpkin sauce, delicious baked pumpkin churros, a classic with a twist called pumpkin mac and cheese, a wonderful truffle pumpkin pizza or soft golden pumpkin buns.
Moreover, butternut squash has a lovely pear shape and the seeds are only on the bottom side. I read that its skin is too hard to eat. In fact, in many recipes, you can see that they peel the butternut squash. However, I left the skin on and when the squash has been roasted long enough, it turns out perfect, tender and edible.
Roast the pumpkin seeds
Regarding the pumpkin seeds; when you scrape them out of the pumpkin, don’t discard them. Roast them and make a lovely crunchy snack instead. Simply wash and dry them and then roast them in the oven. As a result, you’ll get lovely golden-brown crunchy seeds.
In addition, I also wanted to improve the form when scooping the seeds out. Therefore, I cut some pumpkin pulp out as well (the amount of 2 Tbsp in total) and used it as the risotto filled butternut squash topping. Simply roasted in a pan, tastes delicious.
Furthermore, I didn’t use white rice, but I decided on black rice instead. I wanted some contrast in the colours and I got it. Dark purple-black rice looks perfect on the bright orange pumpkin pulp. I just love those colours. They instantly remind you of Halloween, right?
That being said, I didn’t just cook the rice. Oh no. I made a simple risotto, to which I added some quinoa, too. The best tip when making risotto is to slowly add the liquids as needed. Because I wanted the risotto to be creamy, I didn’t only add butter but I also added some mascarpone. Oh, what a delight!
Ingredients for 2 portions of risotto filled butternut squash:
- 1 butternut pumpkin (around 20 cm long)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 2 handfuls of black rice
- 1 handful of quinoa
- olive oil
- salami cut into strips or cubes (optional)
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 Tbsp mascarpone
- salt
Preheat the oven to 200º C. After you’ve washed the pumpkin, cut it in half (lengthwise) and scrape out the seeds. You might want to toast the seeds, too. Also, score the thick part (that would be the opposite part where the seeds are), with simply making two cuts, in order to make sure it cooks all the way through.
Furthermore, place the two halves on a baking dish with the cut part down and drizzle them with some olive oil. Place the dish in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Add mascarpone to the black rice
In the meantime, prepare the risotto. In a medium pan heat some olive oil. Then, add the chopped onion and garlic. Stir until glossy. If you are going to use salami, this is the right moment to add it to the pan. Stir for a couple of minutes.
At this point, add the rice and quinoa. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon, in order to prevent them from sticking. Finally, pour in the water (always use hot water) until about one finger above the rice, bring to a simmer and leave it to cook for 20 minutes or until the rice gets „al dente“. If you think (half-way) you should add more liquid, simply add a little at a time.
Once the pumpkin skin turns light brown, flip the halves around, season with some salt and some oil and put back to bake for another 15 minutes.
After the rice is soft yet still a little crunchy, turn the heat off, season, add a small cube of butter and a spoon of mascarpone. Stir until well combined. Then, cover and keep warm until the butternut squash is ready.
Risotto filled butternut squash is a wonderful and easy meal. As the name says, spoon the risotto onto the pumpkin and dig in! Your October just got better. Wink. Use different pumpkins combined with many risotto variations. Moreover, you can add some cheese as well. And don’t forget to use some crunchy pumpkin seeds, too.
Enjoy!
