Pumpkin and speck risotto
Pumpkin and Speck Risotto
Recipe and photos by Nanni Baracco.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 160 g of Ecorì Classic Carnaroli rice
- one packet of speck cut into strips
- half a Delica pumpkin
- oat milk
- extra virgin olive oil
- cashews
- almonds
- turmeric powder
- ginger powder
- coarse salt
Preparation
Cut the pumpkin into rather coarse pieces and bake it in the oven with a drizzle of oil for about twenty minutes. Once cooked, peel the pumpkin and put it in a blender cup, then blend it with a pinch of ginger and turmeric to taste. To obtain a smooth cream, add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and oat milk, then season with salt.
The Delica pumpkin from Piedmont is an excellent variety for this recipe because it bakes well in the oven, remains creamy, and has a beautiful bright color.
Prepare the "no broth": pour half water and half oat milk into a pot and bring the broth to a boil.
Sauté the speck strips with extra virgin olive oil and set aside half of them to use for the final decoration of the dish. To the sautéed speck, add the Classic Carnaroli rice, toasting it for a couple of minutes, and season with salt.
Start cooking the rice, adding a ladleful of the hot oat "no broth" at a time. Halfway through cooking, add the pumpkin cream and continue to stir the risotto well to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Turn off the heat and let the risotto rest for a minute in the pot before serving. No further creaming will be necessary, as the pumpkin cream and oat milk already give the dish its creaminess.
Plate the pumpkin and speck risotto decorating with the remaining speck strips and with crushed almonds and cashews, previously chopped and toasted. If you prefer the fresh spicy taste of fresh ginger, you can use it instead of the powdered one, blending it together with the pumpkin cream.