Pumpkin Risotto

So I love fall...love, love, love, love. And I love a lot of things about fall...the weather, apples, apple cider, carmel apples, apple butter, harvest, combines, color full leaves, falling leaves, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie latte, pumpkin dip...ok you get the idea.

Today I went to an apple orchard to buy apples, and I had an apple with carmel while I was there and picked up a great little jar of heaven which prompted my continued pumpkin obsession. It was a Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Pesto made by Bella Cucina. The bottom of the pesto jar had a recipe for risotto using the jar and since I love both pesto and risotto and it was a perfect fall day (well perfect if I wouldn't have had to clean my house and do laundry for most of the day), I made it.

Now for the recipe...I had to modify the recipe a bit because I don't have marscapone cheese in the house, maybe have never had it in the house, but I did have ricotta from some ravioli I made earlier in the week so I used that instead. I also didn't have fresh sage so I used dried.

Cast of characters

Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Risotto

2 tbs butter

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup onion chopped

1 clove garlic rough chopped

2 tbs chopped sage
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups warmed chicken stock
1 cup Cucina Bella Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Pesto
2 tbs marscapone cheese
Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your oil and melting the butter in a large sauce pan. Add onion and saute for a couple minutes, add garlic and sage and saute for another minute or so. Add rice and let cook and start to slightly brown. Add white wine and stir letting the rice absorb the wine. As the liquid is absorbed, slowly add more chicken stock at approximately 1/2 cup increments. Stir occasionally.

There is something about risotto cooking that makes me very, very happy!

You need to monitor the risotto to make sure all liquid doesn't evaporate and the rice burns. As the rice absorbs the liquid it will start to appear creamy and delicious. Once the liquid has all been added and absorbed, gently fold in the pesto and marscapone and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add freshly grated Parmesan and enjoy!!!!

This is so flipping good!!!!

You can purchase the pesto from the website or check out a local orchard or pumpkin patch that might carry it.

I haven't forgotten how to blog...

...just busy travel with work and for anyone who has worked a farm show knows the hours suck and well I just haven't been able to get anything posted...or had the brain capacity to come up with anything clever or otherwise to write.

But just a few updates from some past posts and other random comment:

1. For anyone who was thinking about trying the Maker's Mark Chocolate Cheesecake recipe...my dear friend Sara that joined me the night that I made it recently made it for a celebration for her boyfriend and left off the brownie, I hear it was a huge hit! We just adjusted the cooking time, keep an eye on it when it starts to pull away from the sides of your springform pan then your safe to take it out.
2. The corn head reel that dad purchased has been helpful in picking up the laid down corn, now if we can just get some nice days to get it done. But harvest is underway at the Acklin homestead and that is a good thing.
3. And last but not least a friend of mine has recently started a blog that if you are a sports fan you will enjoy. The Jaded Sports Fan talks about a passion that he has for his sports teams that, well lets just say may not be the most successful sporting teams. Check it out.