Govannella Autumn Recipes
Pumpking and chestnuts risotto

Recipes

This recipe is all about autumn: pumking and Chestnut Risotto. Chestnuts are very common in Italy and the Italians eat them a lot in autumn. People usually organise a “castagnata” at least once a year. “Castagnata” is an outing with friends in the forests or mountains to go pick chestnuts to take home and roast.

Our Chef Giovannella proposes a classic seasonal dish, sweet to the palate, with aromatic nuances and a perfect combination of autumn flavours. The sweetness of pumpkin and chestnut is diluted with the salty flavors of Rigatino, parmigiano and the freshness of pepper.

In Tuscany, pancetta is often called "Rigatino", because of the presence of muscle and fat in rows ("Riga"). Unlike the pancetta, the Tuscan rigatino is obtained from the upper part of the pork, between the lard (which is the back of the pork) and the actual pancetta (which is the lower part of the pork, the belly). Rigatino is cured only with the addition of salt and pepper and is part of the traditional Tuscan agro-food products.

Ingredients 4 people:

• 600 - 700 g of pumpkin pulp
• 150 g di Rigatino Toscano
• 250 g Carnaroli risotto rice or Vialone Nano risotto rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 100 ml white wine
• 800 ml hot vegetable stock (onion, carrot, celery, water)
• 10 roasted chestnuts
• Parmigiano cheese 36m aged
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pecorino cheese (optional )

First roast the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 200°C
Place the pumpkin slices into a roasting tin with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt
Stir and roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway, until cooked. When done, peel and squash the pulp with a fork and set aside.
Cut your chestnuts with a pair of scissors (or a knife) and bake for approximately 30 min at 200C or until they open up themselves. Peel. Giovannella tips: put inside the oven a pot with water. Stem helps to cook the chestnuts

Then is time for risotto. Meanwhile heat an heavy-based saucepan. Add the shallot and Rigatino Toscano, cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the shallot is soft and turning golden and rigatino crisp .
Add risotto rice, and toast it. Add white wine. Stir until it’s all been absorbed into the rice
Next add a ladleful of vegetable stock and stir until absorbed. Repeat this adding and stirring for around 20 minutes until the rice is almost cooked through.

Halfway through cooking add the cooked pumpkin and stir through with a final ladleful of stock. The pumpkin give to this risotto its delicious creaminess.
Just five minutes from time add crumbled chestnuts, leaves 3-4.

Remove rice from heat and whisk with butter and Parmigiano. For a stronger flavor add also Pecorino cheese
Serve topped with the leftover chestnuts and plenty of pepper.

Chestnuts and red wine is always the best pairing. There’s no such thing as Olivi Le Buche wines...try Le Buche 2015 Orcia Doc

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Govannella Autumn Recipes
Pumpking and chestnuts risotto

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