Title: Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Risotto
Categories: Rice, Australian, Chicken, Cheese, Italian
Yield: 4 Servings
600 g Queensland Blue pumpkin;
-peeled and seeds removed
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1 l Chicken stock
1 sm Onion,
-peeled and chopped finely
2 c Arborio rice
150 g David Brown's own Milawa
-blue cheese; cubed
1 tb Butter
Freshly ground black pepper
Cut the pumpkin flesh into 2 1/2 - 3cm chunks. Place in a baking
tin and sprinkle with sea salt. Pour over a little olive oil and
roast on the centre shelf of a pre-heated 200c oven, until the
pumpkin is cooked and well browned. Keep the pumpkin warm until
you are ready to mix it into the risotto.
Bring the chicken stock to the boil and allow it to simmer over a
very low heat. Fry the onion in a little olive oil in a large
saute pan over low heat, until it starts to brown. Add the rice
and continue frying for 1 to 2 minutes, taking care not to burn
the onion. Add a ladle of the stock and cook, stirring the rice
constantly with a metal spoon. Continue to add the stock as it is
absorbed into the rice, until the rice is cooked. It should be
firm to the bite, but not chalky. The risotto should be moist and
creamy.
Quickly stir in the Milawa Blue cheese and the butter, then carefully
fold in the cubes of roasted pumpkin.
Wine Suggestion: Chardonnay.
David Brown, Chief Cheesemaker at Milawa Cheese Company, Victoria.
