Hello Friends,
I think it’s been established by now that Fall is my favorite time of the year and one of my favorite Italian dishes is risotto. While the classic version made with wine, stock, butter and Parmigiano is delicious by itself, I like to tweak it. During the spring and summer, I might add squash blossoms, asparagus, corn or sweet peas but when fall beckons my favor turns to mushrooms and squash. Next week on Tucci night I’m introducing one of my favorite versions that seems like a love letter to the season….pumpkin risotto.
Watching one of the Tucci episodes where he visited a restaurant in the Piedmont region chef-owned by two brothers that serve 20 different, very non-traditional risottos, I learned a simple trick. They start by toasting the raw risotto in a hot skillet and add salt & pepper to it, claiming that it is the only time you can actually add flavor to the Arborio rice itself….after that you are just adding flavor to the risotto. I was a little skeptical at first but after trying this initial step I realized it certainly did make a difference adding a somewhat toasty flavor profile to the finished dish.
So after the toasting I follow the traditional process of deglazing with white wine, adding hot stock a little at a time until it’s absorbed by the rice and then finishing with Parmigiano and a touch of butter. Next comes the pumpkin, that sun-soft sweetness the brings a dusty colored, harvest glow to the rice…. A color reminiscent of dusk settling over a country pumpkin patch flavored with a touch of cloves, nutmeg & cinnamon. Once incorporated into the risotto it’s plated up in a rustic bowl and then comes the final magic that turns a simple comfort food dish into something rich and decadent. It is sprinkled with a touch more Parmigiano (of course it is) then with finely chopped, crispy Pecan wood smoked bacon that adds a smokiness to accentuate the pumpkin pie flavors and then finally….pause….a drizzle of truffle honey….oh hell yes.
Together these ingredients create a risotto that is rich, indulgent, and deeply natural…creamy, silky, earthy, smoky and sweet. A bowl that tastes like sitting by a fire, with a sweater pull from the back of your closet, on the first night you notice the air has changed.
It’s Fall, captured in a single spoonful….and it’s Bellissimo.
Join us on Wednesday nights this month and enjoy this special dish and celebrate the arrival of Fall.
Ciao!
David & Tino
