Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

First - I used Penzey's herbs, not fresh. I give them each a little grind with the mortar and pestle.

I apologize in advance that is in American and metric measures. I'm living in England and have a mix of both going on with my American and English utensil combination. Look in the back of your cookbooks - it'll translate and this was cobbled together so a bit more of this, or a little less of that will not hurt this recipe.

1 small onion, diced small
Olive oil
Soft butter
1-2 Portobella mushroom caps, diced large. They'll reduce in size as they cook.
1-1/2 cups baked pumpkin (not canned), mashed, drained
1 litre vegetable stock
175 g risotto rice
handful of grated parmesan cheese
double cream
salt
pepper
thyme
rosemary

Heat vegetable stock (I make mine with my electric tea kettle and xoxo cubes and keep it in a small pan heating on the stove). After making the recipe a few times, pouring from a measuring cup will work instead of ladle fulls.

Cook onion in a little olive oil and butter. When translucent, add a bit more butter and the mushrooms. Add the rice, coat it with the butter and toast it lightly. At medium-medium high heat, start adding the stock to the rice, a half to one ladle at a time. Do not let the rice get dry nor drown it. Keep stirring and keep it creamy. Add some salt and pepper along the way. Eventually add the rosemary and thyme. Keep going until rice has lost most of it's cloudiness but you still have a bit of stock left.  Add the pumpkin and warm it to the bubbly temperature again. By now the rice should be nearly clear and starting to tender a bit. Add a couple of plops of butter, some cream (enough to flavor it, but not to "soup" it)  and the handful of parmesan. Stir carefully to mix and cover for two minutes.

Stir again and eat.

(If you run out of stock you can continue to add boiling hot water as your liquid - still a half ladle at a time)