Opinion – Terra Vegana: Creamy and vegan pumpkin risotto is possible and delicious

Creamy risotto as it should be, tasty and without any animal origin, is it possible? Yes, yes and yes!

The creaminess of the risotto is due, after all, to the starch present in the rice, and not to the butter or the generous handfuls of Parmesan used in the finishing. The success of this dish therefore starts with choosing the right type of rice: arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano. Other types of rice will not work — it is precisely in these three types that we find the highest concentration of starch.

Butter and cheese, although expendable, bring remarkable flavors and characteristics to the dish. We can opt for vegan options — in fact, there are more and more good plant-based alternatives to dairy in supermarkets.

It is really important to guarantee an excellent vegetable broth, which can be made using the skins and stems of the vegetables (by the way, the mushroom stems make a beautiful broth!).

Gather the non-mortal remains of your preparations in a bag stored in the freezer, and always have the possibility to make your own vegetable broth in a practical way.

When the bag is full, pour the contents into a pan with a drizzle of oil and stir until thawed. Cover with water, in the proportion of three parts of water to one of vegetables. When the water starts to bubble, lower the temperature and let it reduce on low heat for 30 minutes.

At the end of this time, the broth will be ready — just strain it or add it directly to the risotto (in this case, always using a sieve).

Another important liquid for risotto is white wine, which helps release the starch from the rice and adds a little acidity to the dish. In the process of clarifying and separating wine residues, animal proteins present in eggs, pork and fish can be used to “filter” the drink.

So, if you are vegan or if you are going to prepare this risotto for someone who is, you should look for wines with a vegan label.

Let’s go to the recipe.

vegan pumpkin risotto

RISOTTO INGREDIENTS

2 cups arborio rice

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 ½ cups roasted pumpkin puree*

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1.5 liters of vegetable broth

1 cup of white wine

½ cup vegan parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vegan butter

White pepper how much/enough

FINISHING INGREDIENTS

balsamic cream

hazelnuts

pomegranate seeds

PREPARATION

1. Heat the vegetable broth.

2. Cut the onion into small cubes and sauté with olive oil, salt, white pepper and thyme leaves, until the onion softens.

3. Add the rice and stir for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. The rice grains should be lightly browned.

4. Add the white wine and stir until completely evaporated.

5. Add two ladles of vegetable stock to the pan and stir well until dry. Add two more ladles, and repeat the procedure until the rice is cooked and al dente.

6. Add the pumpkin puree, mix and turn off the heat.

7. Add the grated vegan cheese and mix well. Add the vegan butter and stir until it melts and coats all the risotto. Check the taste and, if necessary, adjust the salt and pepper.

8. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and roast in a frying pan.

9. Serve the risotto in a deep dish and finish with the toasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds on top. Circle the creamy balsamic around the risotto and it’s done!

*For the pumpkin puree, just cut the pumpkin in half and bake at 210 degrees, with the pulp facing the side of the roasting pan. When the pumpkin is tender, remove the pan from the oven and wait for it to cool. Scrape the seeds and then scrape and mash the pulp to obtain a puree.