Holiday recipe: pumpkin and goat cheese risotto

This fall I spent a lot of time dreaming up new pumpkin recipes. Between making pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin lasagna, and pumpkin cream pie, I never found the time to make the pumpkin risotto that I was plotting. Then Christmas came and went, and I was spending too much time traveling, moving, and eating dinner with family to do much cooking at home.

But, on New Year's Eve, I finally found a moment to make my vision a reality. I found that it was just as satisfying in winter as I expected it to be in fall. And, if you're like me, you still have a few cans of pumpkin in your pantry and could probably benefit from a new recipe to use it in.

So, without further ado, I give you pumpkin goat cheese risotto . . .

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 or 5 green onions

2 cups arborio rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 can pumpkin

4 ounces goat cheese

seasonings and garnishes of your choice

Step 1. Bring broth to a simmer in a sauce pan.

Step 2. On a neighboring burner, melt butter with oil over medium heat.

Step 3. Add green onions, arborio rice, and pumpkin to the butter and oil mixture, stirring to combine so the rice is evenly coated.

Step 4. Keeping the broth at a simmer, add a ladle-full at a time to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. As each ladle-full is absorbed, add another, stirring constantly until the rice is al dente. This may use less than the total amount of broth or it may use the four cups exactly. If you need more, add boiling water from a tea kettle after the broth is used up. This whole process takes about 20-30 minutes of stirring. It's what intimidates most people about making risotto from scratch, but I find that it can be quite relaxing if you remember to be patient. After all, it's not complicated; it just takes time.

Step 5. Season as you so desire. I used cinnamon, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, worcestershire sauce, and ground black pepper, but whatever you have on hand that you think will taste nice will do.

Step 6. Take the risotto off the heat. Stir in the goat cheese until it's totally melted and well combined, reserving a bit of cheese for garnish if you like.

Step 7. Dish up the risotto, garnishing it with whatever you desire. I used extra goat cheese and some fresh dill because that's what I had on hand (leftover from these latkes), but I think some toasted pepitas would be just perfect if you can get your hands on some.

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