Nick Risidi, of Amici Ristorante in East Parade, Keighley, revisits his Italian roots for another taste of the Mediterranean

AUTUMN is here, and there is perhaps no food more associated with the season than pumpkin.

It seems that the moment September arrives, every restaurant or cafe will add a pumpkin-based dish that brings a special, seasonal twist to their menu.

While Italians may be a little more reluctant to trade their favourite strong espresso for a pumpkin spice-infused latte, they too have a real fondness for the ingredient – especially at this time of year. As in several other countries, pumpkin is a crucial component for many autumnal dishes and found in both traditional and modern recipes.

This adoration is by no means a recent development. In fact, Italians have been cooking with pumpkins for hundreds of years. It is believed that Christopher Columbus was the first to introduce them to the country on his return from an expedition to America. Now they are grown all across Italy and the country is one of the top ten globally for pumpkin production. A wide range of pumpkins and squashes can be found, from the bumpy, blue-green Marina di Chioggia to the sweet Cappello del Prete (named ‘the Priest’s hat’ for its distinctive shape). With such a range to choose from, it’s no wonder that pumpkins have become a go-to for savoury and sweet dishes alike.

Across the world, the pumpkin has found its way into the heart of cultural celebrations. In the United States, no Thanksgiving is complete without a pumpkin pie, and here in the UK many will carve pumpkins and use them as spooky decorations on Halloween. Although it is growing in popularity, Halloween is not traditionally celebrated in Italy. They do, however, have their own late-October occasions that centre around the pumpkin. Each year the Festa della Zucca (or Pumpkin Festival) takes place in Venzone. As the legend goes, a craftsman was hired to install a golden sphere on top of the cathedral. However, he was underpaid when it came time to collect his wage. Scorned, he returned undetected in the night to remove the sphere and replace it with a pumpkin, painted gold. The locals only realised the deception when parts of the pumpkin began to fall off and hit them. Now, every October, tourists will travel to the picturesque locale to join the townspeople in the ultimate celebration of the pumpkin.

You might not be able to attend the festival this year, but you can have your own small celebration of the pumpkin with this tasty risotto recipe.

RECIPE

VEGETARIAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

200g Arborio rice

2 shallots

750ml vegetable stock

400g pumpkin, chopped into cubes

100ml dry white wine

2tbp mascarpone cheese

50g grated vegetarian parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Prepare your vegetable stock and heat it in a pan, before placing over a gentle heat to simmer.

2. Take two shallots and dice them. To prepare your pumpkin, peel, remove the seeds and then chop-up the flesh into cubes approximately half an inch in size. Add the diced shallots and chopped pumpkin to a large saucepan and gently sauté in the olive oil for around five minutes.

3. Stir the rice in with the shallots and the pumpkin before allowing to cook for a further two minutes. Doing this will toast the rice.

4. Take your dry white wine and pour 100ml into the saucepan with the rice, pumpkin and shallots and continue cooking until the wine reduces.

5. To begin with, add just one quarter of the stock into the saucepan with the other ingredients. Make sure you stir the contents of the saucepan well while cooking. Leave on the heat until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

6. Gradually pour in some more stock, just a little at a time. Whilst cooking and stirring, keep adding in more stock until the rice is tender and the texture of the dish is looking creamy. This should take around 15 minutes and may not require you to use all of the stock to achieve the desired texture. Be sure to check that your rice is thoroughly cooked. If it isn’t, you can add more stock and carry on cooking.

7. When it seems as though there is only a couple of minutes left for the rice to cook, add in the mascarpone cheese and half of the vegetarian parmesan cheese and stir well.

8. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve in bowls. Top with the remaining vegetarian parmesan cheese. Risotto is best enjoyed hot so serve and eat right away.