I’ve decided to embrace it and get in the spirit, so here is my contribution to the already booming pumpkin industry: pumpkin risotto. It makes something that’s creamy even creamier, and it pairs very nicely with the dried rosemary flavor and some cranberry sauce on the side. I meant to whip up some roasted asparagus to go with it but to be honest I just forgot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ingredients
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine
Up to 4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. In a small sauce pan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer and turn down the heat to leave it warm during the entire cooking process.
2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a big pot over medium high heat, add the onions and slowly cook them, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent. 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the rice and toast for 4-5 minutes until it becomes partially translucent. Then add the white wine, reduce the heat and start stirring.
4. Once the wine has mostly been absorbed, add a ladle full of stock and continue stirring. You don’t have to stir constantly, but it’s important to stay close to the pot and give it a stir every 30-60 seconds to release the starch in the rice; that gives the risotto its creamy texture. My rule of thumb is: If you see the bottom of the pot during stirring, you need to add more liquid.
5. After two portions of stock, add the pumpkin puree, the rosemary, and season it carefully with salt and pepper.
6. Keep adding liquid to the risotto until the rice is cooked, but not too soft. Serve with cranberry sauce and roasted veggies of your choice (optional)

Serves 2

Note:
Depending on your rice, you may not need the entire 4 cups of stock. If you need more liquid in the end and you ran out of stock, you could always add a bit of water.