Pumpkin and Sausage Risotto with Browned Butter Sage Leaves

Though I know we are all dreading the weather changing, there are a few perks to our cooler fall-like temperatures, one of them is the infamous pumpkin.  Thank you to my friends at the Garden of Weedin for the beautiful pie pumpkins that helped inspire this dish.

As I was preparing to make a crock pot full of chili and a grill full of chicken wings to enjoy this fall-ish sunday afternoon with a couple of our good friends, my husband through down the challenge.  Chicken and chili…come on, that sounds way too easy!  You can do better!  Hmmm, well anyone who knows me knows I do not take a challenge lightly, especially a food challenge.  So I glanced around the kitchen, caught sight of my beautiful orange pumpkins and the aha moment…consider this challenge accepted.

I happened to have some chicken brats, the flavor profile is sage and pepper.  Any breakfast style sausage would also be great in this dish as I imagine Italian sausage would be as well.  We don’t eat a lot of pork so enter my love for chicken sausage.

Pie Pumpkin

First step roasting the pumpkin.  Yes you could just open a can of pumpkin, but if you have access to a pie pumpkin I promise you it will be worth your effort to roast your own.  Just cut your pumpkin in half, scoop the seeds out, coat in olive oil and pop it into a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour depending on the size of your pumpkin.  Roast it until it is browned and soft.  Set aside to cool before you scoop the sweet roasted meat out of the shell.

Roasted pumpkin

While your pumpkin is roasting, put your half stick of butter into a pan and begin to brown it.  Browning butter brings it to a new level of awesome, nutty, rich…I am starting to drool so I will stop!  Make sure you keep a close eye on the butter because it can go from brown to burnt in about 2 seconds.  Once it starts to brown, add your sage leaves.  Fry them in the butter until the edges curl and the leaves turn dark brown.  Depending on the pan you choose you may have to fry them in batches.  Set the leaves aside, where your 5 year old with a sophisticated pallet can’t reach them, or like me you will have to start the frying process over…

Sage leaves frying in butter

Brown butter fried sage leaves

Next saute your chicken sausage, onions, chard or kale, bell pepper, garlic and herbs, over medium high heat, in about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until the onions are translucent.  As a side note, I add salt and pepper a few times during the cooking process as it is needed to soften the veggies, but we need to proceed with a bit of caution as the chicken stock can add a fair amount of salt to our risotto.  After the veggies have cooked down, toss the tomatoes in.  I used a couple larger roma tomatoes, feel free to substitute a can of diced tomatoes or a delicious heirloom tomato.  Cook for a couple more minutes to soften the tomato.

Finally the risotto.  To the pan of veggie and meat yumminess (your house should smell awesome right now!) add your risotto and saute it until all the little risotto kernels are coated with oil. If your pan is looking a bit dry add some more olive oil, hey even if it’s not looking dry, has a little extra olive oil ever made anything taste bad?  You are now glued to your stove for the next at least 30 minutes.  Risotto is a labor of love.  You need to keep stirring and stirring and stirring.  Don’t stop!  What gives risotto it’s velvety creamy texture is the starch it is releasing as you cook it and stir, not a load of cream and cheese and butter.

Simmering risotto

Once the risotto is coated with oil, add 1/2 cup of dry white wine.  Let it simmer stirring continuously for 2 minutes.  Add the wine with caution as open flames and alcohol can be a dangerous combination.  Now begin to add the hot chicken stock about a cup at a time, letting it almost fully absorb before adding the next cup.  Did I mention don’t stop stirring!?!  Keep the risotto at a good simmer.  Check the risotto “bite” before you add the last cup.  You want it to still have some texture, but how much is personal preference.  Add the last cup of stock based on your preference.  Once the risotto has reached your desired texture, add in the shredded cheese, stir until it is completely melted.  Stir in the pumpkin and continue to cook until your pumpkin is incorporated.  Remove from heat, top with fresh grated nutmeg and fried sage leaves.  Cheers!!!

Finished pumpkin risotto

Pumpkin and Sausage Risotto with Browned Butter Sage Leaves

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion diced
• 18 oz chicken sausage (sage and pepper flavor profile)
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 2 cups chopped swiss chard, kale or spinach
• 1 pie pumpkin or about 2 cups of canned pumpkin
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 T mix of fresh herbs (oregano, thyme)
• 1/2 c manchego or other mild cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6-8 cups chicken stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups arborio rice
• nutmeg for finishing
• 30 sage leaves
• 1 stick of butter (8 Tablespoons)

Instructions

1. STEP ONE ROASTING PUMPKIN (skip this step if using canned pumpkin)
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
3. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds
4. Rub pumpkin with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
5. Roast in oven on baking sheet with cut side down for 45 mins to one hour until soft and lightly browned
6. Once cooled scoop out pumpkin insides and set aside
7. STEP TWO MAKING CRISPY SAGE LEAVES
8. Melt butter in sauté pan over medium high heat
9. Continue melting until butter foams and begins to brown taking care not to burn the butter
10. Add sage leaves to browned butter and fry them for a few minutes until edges curl and leaves turn dark.
11. Drain on paper towels
12. Set aside
13. STEP 3 MAKING THE RISOTTO
14. Warm chicken stock in a small pan on a back burner.
15. Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat, drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
16. Add sausage, onions, chard, bell pepper, garlic, herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper
17. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through
18. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute or two to soften the tomato
19. Add arborio rice and toss to coat in oil. If your pan is too dry add another tablespoon of oil.
20. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and allow to simmer stirring continuously for 2 minutes.
21. Begin to add your warm stock 1 cup at a time stirring continuously until it is absorbed by the rice, before adding the next cup.
22. Keep the risotto at a low simmer throughout the cooking process.
23. When you reach the last cup check the bite of your risotto, if you prefer it more el dente add less stock, if you prefer it soft add more.
24. When you have reached your desired texture add shredded cheese and stir until it is completely melted.
25. Stir in pumpkin and cook until fully incorporated.
26. Remove from heat
27. Top with fresh grated nutmeg and fried sage leaves
28. Enjoy!

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