PUMPKIN RISOTTO with CHESTNUTS and HORSERADISH

SERVES 4 TO 6

Just like fresh pasta, risotto is a labor of love. It takes some time and patience but you get a big payoff with the super-creamy texture of the finished dish. In the fall, I like pumpkin in risotto—but any winter squash will do (see Pro Tips). Chestnuts and horseradish bring the rice alive and make this dish a killer addition to a holiday meal. —CHAD

PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS

5 cups chopped seeded peeled pumpkin

4½ tablespoons plant-based butter

½ cup Vegetable Stock (here) or store-bought

2 tablespoons everyday olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup peeled cooked chestnuts

RISOTTO

About 5 cups Vegetable Stock (here) or store-bought

3 tablespoons everyday olive oil

½ cup finely chopped leek

3 cloves garlic, minced

1¼ cups Arborio rice

1/3 cup white wine

2 teaspoons sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2-inch piece fresh horseradish root

Plant-based Parmesan, as from Follow Your Heart, optional

Flake salt such as Maldon, optional

FOR THE PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS: Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Set up a steamer and steam 3 cups of the chopped pumpkin until a fork slides in and out easily, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the steamed pumpkin to a blender, add 3 tablespoons of the butter and the stock, and blend until smooth. Set the puree aside.

Meanwhile, dice the remaining 2 cups pumpkin into ¼-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the pumpkin evenly on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned but not too soft, about 6 minutes. This roasted pumpkin will be folded into the risotto at the end, so you want it to hold some shape. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Slice the chestnuts about ¼ inch thick. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1½ tablespoons butter. Add the sliced chestnuts and cook until slightly crisp, flipping to brown both sides. Season with salt, remove from the heat, and set aside. The chestnuts will garnish the risotto.

FOR THE RISOTTO: Heat the 5 cups of stock in a pot on the stove and keep warm. (Warm stock helps the rice cook faster than cold stock.)

Heat another shallow pot over medium heat for the risotto. When hot, add the oil, followed by the leek. Cook and stir until the leek browns a little. Watch carefully—leeks can burn quickly. Stir in the garlic and rice and stir until the rice is coated with oil. Continue stirring until the rice absorbs some oil and looks translucent on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. This process of toasting the rice is really important—it helps to loosen the starches and makes the risotto creamier.

When the rice is toasted, pour in the wine and scrape the pan to loosen the brown glaze from the bottom. Cook until the liquid evaporates.

Stir ½ cup of the warm stock into the rice. Stirring agitates the loosened starch on the surface of the rice, so keep stirring. It’s what makes risotto creamy. Stir until the stock evaporates.

Continue this process of adding ½ cup stock and stirring until it evaporates. After a few minutes, the liquid in the pan will begin to look opaque instead of clear, a sign that the rice starch is being released into the liquid, making it thicker and creamier.

After about half the stock has been added, about 10 minutes into the process, add half of the pumpkin puree. Stir it in real good. Continue adding stock, ½ cup at a time, and stirring until the stock evaporates until the rice has an al dente texture—tender yet with a firm bite in the center. The liquid in the pan should be creamy. It will take another 10 to 12 minutes for the rice and liquid to reach this doneness. You want the risotto to spread on the plate and then firm up a bit. If it’s already looking too thick, stir in a bit more stock to make the liquid somewhat soupy and creamy. Stir in the remaining pumpkin puree, then the salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if you think it needs it.

Remove the pan from the heat and fold in half the roasted pumpkin and all the parsley.

TO SERVE: Spoon a generous amount of risotto in the center of shallow soup plates. Garnish with the remaining diced roasted pumpkin and buttered chestnuts. Shave some fresh horseradish over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan and flake salt, if using.

You can use any winter squash here such as butternut, buttercup, or kabocha. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel the squash. If the skin is super hard, you can prick the whole squash all over with a fork, then microwave the whole squash for a minute or two. That will soften it enough so that the skin can be peeled with a vegetable peeler.

Use any vegetable stock or bouillon you like, but it should be light. A robust stock would overpower the rice.

You can use toasted hazelnuts instead of chestnuts.