I know, I’m a bit obsessed with this orange vegetable, but I just find it so good! Also, This saffron pumpkin risotto is just deliciously gorgeous! It’s the ideal weekend lunch and it’s so easy as well!
I’ve never managed to find saffron in UK and when we went to Italy we brought a HUGE batch with us. As huge as it could be, as saffron is the world most expensive spice by weight. There’s a really good reason for that, dough. This spice comes from a very delicate flower, which stigma and styles are collected and dried for use. Which means you need 75k saffron flowers to make less than 500 gr (1 pound) of saffron spice. Also, it has to be harvested by hand, no machines can collect this exclusively tasty spice.
Some tips to get the perfect risotto, now: let the saffron dissolve in hot water (or broth) for at least 15 min, use Carnaroli rice – which we didn’t have and so had to use Arborio, and the result wasn’t as creamy -, continuously check on it and stir it, adding broth whenever it looks sticky. The ONLY way to know if it’s perfect: taste it and check if the rice it’s ready, don’t trust the labels saying “ready in 15 min”
“The food was so good that with each passing course, our conversation devolved further into fragmented celebrations of its deliciousness: ‘I want this dragon carrot risotto to become a person so I can take it to Las Vegas and marry it.”
John Green – The Fault In Our Stars
Saffron Pumpkin Risotto
Equipment
- two pots
Ingredients
- 150 gr Carnaroli Rice
- 1 lt Broth Stock Cube to make Broth
- 200 gr Pumpkin
- 1/2 tsp Saffron
- 1/2 Onion
- 10 gr Butter
- to taste Salt and Pepper
- as required Olive Oil
Instructions
- Warm up the broth or dissolve a stock cube into warm boiling water. Slice the onion into small pieces. When the broth is warm, pur some (100 ml) into a glass or cup with the saffron spice and let it rest.
- Warm up some oil and cook the onion until slightly brown. When browned, pur the rice and let it fry for a couple of minutes, until translucent. Then start adding the broth slowly, just to cover it.
- Remove the skin of the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces. Add the pumpkin to the rice and continue to cook it adding broth.
- If you're using a Zucca Delica, like mine, cook it for 10 min on a frying pan with some oil. It will be deliciously crunchy on the risotto!
- After 10 min, add the broth with the saffron, continue to stir and cook adding other broth. you can now start tasting it, to check if it's ready (any rice has different cooking times, but it's usually 20 min).
- Just when the rice is almost done, take the pan out ot the hob, add the butter and some parmesan cheese to whisk. Serve warm!
Nutrition Facts
2 servings per container
Calories261
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
3.5g
6%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
60.9g
21%
- Dietary Fiber 5.3g 22%
- Sugars 7g
- Protein 6.6g 14%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
I do have a scientific mind, probably it’s the reason why I love to hide in the kitchen and start creating.
My cooking is healthy, fun and colorful… and really tasty!
What are you waiting for? Grab your apron and start creating with me!
