This side goes great with a Sunday pot roast, or made as a weeknight dinner or a weeknight and vegetarian dinner.
Pumpkin and Sage Risotto
Description
It was early November, the husband was out of town, and frankly an emotionally difficult time personally. So as I was trying to find some joy in my day, I decided to lean into fall flavors, comfort food and a good red wine. Pot roast was the first thing that came to mind. I always loved my mom's pot roast, the old school cream of mushroom soup and dried onion soup mix with potatoes and carrots, but for me, that simple dish was ultimate comfort. Pot roast for dinner then (here's the recipe for my umami pot roast I came up with), but what else worked? I started thinking about fall flavors and noodling on a pumpkin side dish...
Ingredients
Instructions
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Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, sage and salt and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in rice and cook, stirring until edges are translucent, 2-3 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, cook until bubbling, about minutes. reduce heat to medium. Stir in about a cup of warm broth in big splashes, or wine if using, stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth until all broth is added. Simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes, but still has a slight bite. Off heat. Stir in parmesan and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
Top with more parmesan and serve.
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To make this a complete weeknight meal
Cube and trim about two pounds of sirloin steak. Sprinkle tips with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and cook until browned on all sides and meat registers 125 degrees for medium rare, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Serve with the risotto. Top all with a few extra shaves of parmesan
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To make this a complete weeknight and vegetarian meal
You'll want to start this before you start the risotto. It does take about an hour but that's mostly hands off time, leaving you free to make the risotto. Preheat oven to 350. Wash and stem portabella mushrooms, one large one per person. Place in an oven safe sauce pan for which you have a lid. Combine 1 onion peeled and quartered, 8 peeled garlic cloves, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp white miso, 1/3 cup vegetable broth and 1/3 cup olive oil. Put mushrooms in pan dome side up, pour sauce over then cover with foil and the lid. Bake about 40 mins, remove from oven, turn them over, replace foil and lid and bake another 20 minutes, until very tender but not falling apart. Top a serving of risotto with one mushroom cap. Serve!
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For a Sunday roast (or other time intensive meal)
This recipe works great with my Umami pot roast, linked here. Serve the risotto and roast with a simple green salad. Top the risotto and roast with a few extra shaves of parmesan.