Love the pumpkin

Always be zen when you're cooking haha

 Yesterday, one of my best friends an I made a delicious risotto. The recipe is from Jamie Oliver, but I changed it a little bit. I have to share this with you. I'll explain how to make it (thank you Jamie!). By the way, the recipe is for five persons.



You'll need an average size pumpkin (ofcourse), and you cut like you cut a melon. Then, you crush the following spices:

• 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of (black pepper)

Put the pumpkin in a baking dish, and then mix it with one tablespoon of olive oil, a garlic clove and the spices. Put the dish in the grill (200 C) for about 45 minutes, until it's caramelized.

almost ready!

Okay, while you're waiting for the pumpkin to be ready you start cutting the ingredients for the risotto.
For the risotto you need:

• 1 litre of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 celery
• 400 risotto rice
• 2 tablespoons of thyme
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• sea salt andblack pepper
• about 50 gram of parmezan cheese

So, you chop the onions, garlic, thyme and celery.

My friend cried like a baby chopping the onions!

The thyme is from the garden, I was pretty amazed it survived the cold winter nights...

 When the pumpkin is ready, you split it in two parts. Chop the first part in rather small cubes. The other part you will have to peel. Then, chop it a little less small. 

Hmm I can tell you: the smells like heaven

The 'unpeeled' part

Now, take the celery, onion and thyme and fry it slowly in some olive oil for about fifteen minutes (put the garlic in the pan after more or less five minutes). 

 When the vegetables are soft, you start with the trickiest part. Turn up the heat and take the rice and put it in the pan. You also add the peeled part of pumkin. Keep stirring it, and when it becomes a little bit translucent (after 1 or 2 minutes) you add the whine. The smell is AMAZING! Don't forget to keep stirring it.

I used the risotto rice from Albert Heijn Excellent.

Whine (:

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, start adding the broth. Turn down the heat a but down. Keep adding glaees of broth, and never stop stirring. Don't add the next glass of broth if the last one isn't absorbed yet. This all will take you about 15 minutes. If you think the rice isn't soft enough yet, you can add some boiled water. 

 

This part kind of hurts :( It is so hot that your hand gets a bit burned.

 

When you think it is ready you remove the heat. Add the cheese and some butter if you want (I didn't add the butter, to keep it light haha) Now you add the other part of the pumpkin.

Looks good, doesn't it?

Okay, you're finished now. ENJOY!

My friend RUBY!