Hollowed Pumpkin Filled with Risotto

Ingredients

• 4 small Hokkaido pumpkins (about 500 g each)
• 1 Shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• 40 g Butter
• 250 g Risotto rice
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 piece lemon zest
• 50 g freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 tin saffron strands (0.1 g)
• Salt
• ground pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 100°C fan.

2. 2.

   Clean, wash, and cut off the tops of the pumpkins; scoop out the seeds with a spoon and scrape away the flesh, leaving about 0.5 cm from the edge. Place the hollowed pumpkins on the middle rack in the preheated oven to warm while you make the risotto.

3. 3.

   Peel and finely dice the shallot and garlic. Dice the pumpkin flesh into small cubes. Warm the vegetable broth. In a pot, melt 20 g butter and sauté the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and pumpkin cubes, stir briefly, then deglaze with half of the wine and let it evaporate completely. Repeat with the remaining wine, then add enough broth to just cover the rice and pumpkin. Add the bay leaf and lemon zest. Reduce the liquid almost entirely while stirring occasionally; add a bit more broth, stir, and reduce again. Continue this process until the broth is used up and the rice is nearly cooked (it should still have a slight bite), about 15-20 minutes. Before serving, remove the lemon zest and bay leaf, then stir in the Parmesan, saffron, and remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. 4.

   Fill the warmed pumpkins with the prepared risotto before serving.