We’ve been tweaking our pumpkin risotto, looking to get the most flavor into the dish. We start by making a pumpkin stock with pumpkin purée (canned or fresh), chicken stock, garlic, thyme, bay & burnt cinnamon sticks. The stock is cooled and strained. The rice is soaked in the stock for 2 hours before using.
Then we look at the fats. Do you sauté your shallots and brown the rice in schmaltz, bacon fat, pepperoni fat or chorizo fat? Do you deglaze with rye, bourbon or scotch? What proteins do you use? We’ve been working with chorizo, bacon jam, gribenes, scallops and scrapple. Finish with a fried chèvre round and micro-herbs regardless of the fats, liquor and proteins. Hoping to quickly find our winning combo.
