Wednesday Food Blogging: Pumpkin Risotto with Sizzled Sage

"Bring. It. On." she muttered, furiously stirring risotto.

The challenge: Create a vegan dish that will fool a meat eater.
The location: Becks & Posh nosh site.
The Technorati Tag: IMBB #19
My response: What else is new?

Here at Chez Flake vegan is the rule rather than the exception, so this really wasn't a challenge for me. I feed omnivores all the time, and they are never fooled, though they are often delighted. I think fooling is mean, besides, anyone who's around me for five minutes will soon learn I would no sooner serve them one of my friends than I would my firstborn.

But a challenge is irresistible. Thank god it didn't mention anything about "while climbing Mt Everest" or "using only a Bunsen burner".

I've been reading some of the other entries, and as always, reactions of non-vegans to vegan nosh is cute. They're so surprised it's good! What, you think we don't have taste buds? There is a whole world beyond beans, a world we eagerly explore, forks in hand.

But enough about the motivation, let's dish: Risotto is one of my favorite dishes, and it takes very well to a vegan lifestyle. The rice is so creamy, the addition of butter or cheese is just superfluous. Use top quality ingredients and you won't miss it, I promise.

Even better, risotto is seasonally versatile: Asparagus in the spring, butternut squash in the fall, mushroom in the winter, spinach whenever. (Pumpkin and butternut squash are often used synonymously; I've used "pumpkin" because it's shorter.)

I served this with some simple sides: Slivered red cabbage sauteed with apples au jus, and braised portobello mushrooms splashed with balsamic. And the leftover wine.

I don't know about fooling meat eaters, but this is a perfect dish after a long walk in the woods. Dinner shouldn't be more challenging than that.

Tagged with: IMBB19 + Vegan

Pumpkin Risotto with Sizzled Sage

Before you begin, assemble and prepare all the ingredients, for your side dishes as well. I know, you've heard this before and successfully ignored it, but when making risotto it's especially helpful or you will be scrambling like a madperson trying to chop and stir. 

First, make a vegetable stock: Fill a pan with about 2 quarts of water. Add any or all of the following:
onion, carrot, leek (green parts), shallots, tops of  green onions, celery (including leaves), 3 or 4 bay leaves, 4 or 5 button mushrooms, garlic clove, peppercorns, rosemary sprigs, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, sage sprigs, oregano sprigs. Aim to have around half the volume be vegetables. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, until part of the volume is reduced. You will need as much as 4 cups of stock.

Let it simmer while you prepare the vegetables, and keep it simmering while you stir the risotto. Adding cold stock or wine will interrupt the cooking and make the grains flake.

Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cup arborio or vialone nano rice
3 cups vegetable stock, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
ground nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine, warmed (not to boiling, just warm to the touch)
salt
whole sage leaves, for garnish

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash on baking tray. Sprinkle nutmeg over squash. Bake for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add red onion. Saute until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice, and stir briskly another 5 minutes.

Add 1 /2 cup wine, continue cooking over medium to medium-low heat. When wine is absorbed, add 1/2 cup stock and the thyme and sage. Continue to stir and as the stock is absorbed, add more 1/2 cup at a time. Add the butternut pieces after 10 minutes and continue to stir. After 20 minutes, add the remaining 1/2 cup wine and stir until it's absorbed.

While stirring, try not to adjust the heat, although if it's cooking too fast lower the heat slightly. (You will sense this if it sticks to the pan in between stirs.)

Taste, and add salt as needed. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg and garnish with sizzled sage leaves.

Sizzled sage: Heat 1/2 inch cooking oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add a sprig of sage and fry briefly until the leaves turn crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove with tongs. Drain on paper towels and use as garnish.

Serving suggestions: The above mentioned red cabbage, portobellos sauted in olive oil and splashed with balsamic, a green salad, crusty bread, dry white wine. Or try sauted spinach and mushrooms, whole grain bread, and Cabernet. Roasted root vegetables would be a maintenance-free dish to serve also. (For dessert, tune in next week.)

Notes on ingredients: Use a dry white wine, the best you can afford. This is no time to economize. If it's October, you can also use a real pumpkin, one of the small sugar pumpkins. Prepare it the same way. Vialone Nano rice makes the creamiest risotto, if you can find it. If you have any leftover stock, freeze it for later, but only after you've eaten the risotto.

Comments

[Kathy P.]

Sounds delightful and I have a pumpkin that I go to grow my very ownself... I was going to let it ripen on the vine, but in clearing out the dead stuff, I hacked away a good bit of the live stuff, too. Pictures at my blog...:-) I'm so proud....

[Auntiepam]

Left over wine????

Are you sure we'er kin...

[sam]

I just made a squash risotto at cooking class last week and if it hadn't been for the cheese and bacon it would have been vegan. I could easily have left out those ingredients. It even had little puy lentils in it - which I didn't like the sound of - but actually worked fabulously.

love the idea of the sizzled sage - i often add that to pasta and it adds a lovely flavour.

Thank you so much for taking part in IMBB #19 & sharing with us your love and knowledge of all-vegetable cookery.

PS - didn't you read the bit about the Bunsen burner and Mount Everest in the small print???

sam