Pumpkin Pancetta Risotto

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Pumpkin pancetta risotto is a warm, comforting dish with arborio rice, diced pancetta and topped with fried sage.

Fall is in the air, and we are celebrating our love of pumpkin with #PumpkinWeek hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. All week-long 34 bloggers will be sharing 140+ fantastic recipes for all your Autumn celebrations, including breakfasts, baked goods, savory pumpkin recipes, desserts, and drinks. Thank you sponsors for providing the prize packages. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below! Giveaway has ended; prize info and entry form deleted.

Risotto is one of those dishes that I wonder how it was invented. Did someone just wonder what would happen if they gradually added hot liquid to arborio rice? Well, since risotto has been around since the early 1800s, it's not easy to find out.

Anyway, risotto is a creamy rice dish. The creaminess comes from the starches in the rice that are released as the rice is stirred in very little liquid, which is why it's important to add the broth very gradually.

Keep in mind that pancetta is a salty meat, so limit the additional salt you add to this dish. Taste as you go to ensure you don't oversalt your risotto.

I prefer to have risotto as a side dish, but this could also be served as an entree. If you want to add bit more meatiness, you could add in some sliced mushrooms along with the ohion.

Risotto doesn't keep very well, so it should be served very shortly after it is prepared. It also doesn't reheat very well, so don't make much more than what you think you'll need.

So, yes, this is a dish that requires lots of hands-on cooking, so it's not a great option for busy weeknights. It's a dish that feels special, so I like to serve it on holidays or when I have friends over for a nice dinner.

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Pumpkin Pancetta Risotto

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Pumpkin pancetta risotto is a warm, comforting dish with arborio rice, diced pancetta and topped with fried sage. It can be a side dish, or your entree.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 oz pancetta, diced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 12 sage leaves, torn in half

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. Reduce heat to low to keep the broth at a simmer.
2. Heat olive oil in a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and pancetta, and cook until the onion begins to turn translucent.
4. Add the rice, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
5. Add the dry white wine to the pan, using a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan and loosen any bits stuck to the pan. Continue to stir until the wine is absorbed.
6. Add the hot broth, about ½-cup at a time, to the arborio rice, stirring constantly until all of the broth is absorbed before adding more broth.
7. Once all of the broth is added, add the pumpkin puree and parmesan cheese, and continue cooking and stirring another 5 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat.
9. Meanwhile, place the butter in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Cook on high for 3 minutes, or until the butter solids turn golden brown.
10. Carefully remove the measuring cup from the microwave. Add the sage to the browned butter and let stand for 1 minute while it fries.
11. Portion the risotto into bowls, and top with some of the sage and browned butter. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese and serve.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 242Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 229mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g

I am not a certified nutritionist. This nutrition information is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only.

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Adapted from Cooking and Beer

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