Risotto with Pumpkin, Baby Spinach and Danish Feta

Despite being of Italian descent, I never grew up on risotto. It just wasn't a dish mum ever cooked, maybe risotto is more a northern Italian dish or something. Mum does make a rice dish that is quite soggy, but it is also very bland, and I've never liked it. Maybe that is the Calabrese risotto. I don't know.

I finally tasted Risotto for the first time a few years ago (yes I am a late bloomer). Eventually I tried making it for myself and have since attempted a number of different combinations of ingredients. When I first tried it, I used David Herbert's recipe out of his Perfect Recipes book. (If you're a regular to this site, you will know that I've used his recipes before.)

Tonight, I think I made my best ever risotto so far. Whilst I have used the same combination of ingredients before, tonight it all just seemed to fall into place. Even if I do say so myself.

I no longer use a recipe to make risotto, but my guess is that this is not too far from when I first tried David's recipe. And I also know that Lili (mia bella cugina) does her risotto completely different to me, so there is probably hundreds of different variations on the same theme.

Oh, and once again, I've got no idea about measurements, it's all just guesswork:

Arborio rice (a cup and half will serve two/three)
About a cup of good white wine (tonight I used a more expensive Cape Mentelle Sauv Blanc Semillon blend - maybe that is the key, if you won't drink it, don't cook with it)
Parmesan cheese
Stock (tonight I used chicken stock, but vegetable stock will do)
Olive oil
Onion
Baby spinach
Pumpkin (chopped into small pieces and roasted)
Danish feta

Heat the stock in a saucepan and then reduce the heat to low for the process.

In another saucepan heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion and stir until the onion softens. Add the rice and make sure you coat all the rice in the oil. Add the wine.

I am sure you know this, but you have to stir risotto... constantly. Stir until most of the wine has absorbed. Add some stock (about 1/2 a cup), keep stirring, again, until the stock has been absorbed. Keep stirring and adding stock until the rice is almost ready.

Add the baby spinach and continue the stock/stir process until the rice is fully cooked and all the stock absorbed. Stir in the roasted pumpkin, grated parmesan and feta cheese.

Take it off the heat, and let it sit for a bit.

Enjoy.


Sorry I don't have a photo - it's all gone!