Risotto alla Zucca

I needed something to do with my leftover pumpkin from "thanksgiving," so I made traditional risotto alla zucca. Risotto is a popular dish in Northern Italy, and there are several different ways to make it. You can also use butternut squash or another winter squash if you don't want to get a pumpkin.

Serves 2-3

What you need:

2.5 tbsp margarine
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cooked pumpkin, chopped (boiled or baked)
2 cups short-grain white rice
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg

In a deep pan, melt 1.5 tbsp margarine and add in diced onions. Sauté onions until clear and add dry rice to pan. Mix the rice in until the butter is absorbed into the grain. Now add the 1/2 cup white wine to the pan and stir until completely absorbed by the rice. Mix in the 2 cups pumpkin and 2 cups vegetable broth. Set a timer for 17 minutes. Stir until the broth has soaked into the rice. Keep adding vegetable broth, cup by cup, waiting for the broth to absorb and then adding another cup...while continuously stirring the risotto. When the timer goes off, you should have a creamy rice. Taste a grain to make sure its al dente, remove from heat, and add salt, nutmeg, and 1 tbsp margarine. Serve immediately.

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