Kabocha Squash Risotto with Sage and Pine Nuts

Like many other reviewers, I roasted the pumpkin with the sage and vinegar, toasted the pine nuts, added some Brie and plated it topped with the pumpkin, pine nuts and pancetta. It was hit!

• mahu6

• Bangkok/Maine

• 4/7/2019

This was average for the effort. Wish I'd roasted rather than sauteed the squash as it would have intensified the flavour. The sherry was a little too overpowering (white wine or vermouth would be better). It needed the parmesan & pancetta, more sage & seasoning, & I also took the last reviewer's advice & chucked in some cubes of runny ripe brie - which saved it. There are better recipes out there - try Melissa Clark's squash risotto with lemon & pistachios, or Saveur's farro/spelt risotto with squash, sage & mushrooms instead ...

• Anonymous

• Edinburgh, Scotland

• 12/8/2012

OK, based on the other reviews of low flavor I did change it. Definitely use Kabocha, it has more flavor than butternut. Also I increased the bacon to 1/2 pound and used a chunk of brie instead of parmesan. Brie will melt into the risotto like butter and adds tons of flavor. It was then very flavorful!!

• dnals

• palo alto, ca

• 9/11/2012

Used this recipe as inspiration rather than a careful copy. Made the risotto and while it was simmering, put butternut squash 1" cubes in a hot oven to roast. Sauteed the pancetta and 5 min before the squash was tender - put the fresh sage on the squash and finished cooking. Removed the squash from the oven, added the sherry vinegar and pancetta. Finished the risotto with a knob of goat cheese and parmesan. Plated it with the risotto topped with the squash and a few pinenuts on top. I agree with a previous reviewer, the vinegar adds a great dimension to the squash. This is a make again recipe.

• Anonymous

• MPLS/ St Paul

• 9/6/2012

This recipe is not written perfectly, but the potential is really quite delicious. I, like other reviewers, found the cooking time listed for the squash insufficient. I made the following adjustments: used 1 tbsp of dried sage for stronger effect & seasonal availability, doubled qty sherry for added flavor, cooked the onions on higher heat than listed, to caramelize, added the squash to the cooking risotto about 1/2 way through the cooking of the rice to cook further and allow the flavors to meld, toasted the nuts, added a sprinkling of salt and pepper with every few additions of broth, and mixed in 5 slices worth freshly fried diced bacon, a generous handful of parmesan and a pat of butter at the end. Divine.

• Anonymous

• Washington State

• 1/24/2012

This risotto is really good. As other reviews note, it takes longer than 20 minutes for the rice to be cooked through - more like 40 minutes of fairly constant stirring. You can speed the process up a bit by increasing the heat from low to medium. Keep the risotto just under a healthy simmer.

• jlwind00

• 1/11/2012

I'll concede I made this with spelt cooked for much much longer and with more liquid that never got soft enough, but I'm discounting my own screwup and I still give it one fork. Even had the texture been great, the flavors were just way too sweet if you used kabocha, which is supposed to be the first choice option given the title of this recipe. If anything, I think arborio rice would have made the problem worse since spelt has a nuttiness that should complicate the sweetness a bit. I did not put pancetta on top, which would have helped, but the recipe claims that is optional. I even mixed some romano cheese into the risotto to help, but to no avail. I used my own homemade veggie stock, too. Don't spend the hour hacking away at the kabocha for this recipe. Not worth it.

• Anonymous

• Los Angeles, CA

• 12/9/2011

Definitely yummy. Used butternut squash instead, and needed about 35 minutes total, using all the broth. Use the kabocha if you can find it, but butternut is a close second. Warm, fall-like, comforting and a family hit :)

• plantshaman

• Las Vegas, NV

• 10/17/2011

Excellent! Lots of work, but well worth it!

• Anonymous

• Monterey Hills, CA

• 9/18/2011

This might be the best thing I've ever cooked. I made the carnivore version with cheese and meat. I bought the sherry vinegar especially for this recipe--worth it! Totally unique flavor! The one thing I changed, was that I used diced yam (orange sweet potato) instead of squash, because I hate squash. Seriously, I could eat the sweet potato with sherry vinegar combo as a side dish after step 1, and be happy. But the whole dish itself, while it took probably 90 minutes total, was luxurious. I'm trying to eat less meat, and I grilled some portobello mushrooms, and topped them with this risotto, and it was HEAVEN! And there were leftovers! Waiting for fall and cooler weather to use this as an excuse to heat up the kitchen for 90 min again!

• clmunich

• Long Beach, CA

• 7/6/2011

We loved this recipe! I used fresh rosemary instead of sage, as that's what I had in my garden. I boiled the squash for a few minutes so it was easier to skin and I found that this dramatically reduced squash cooking time. I threw in several teaspoons of goat cheese at the end in lieu of parmasan and pancetta - it was great and did a great job of offsetting the sweetness. Not a true risotto but still very good.

• snowycakes

• San Francisco, CA

• 4/14/2011

I made this tonight and it was a huge hit with the men in my family. I have never made a risotto before, so I found the directions a little confusing. I used double the sage, and ended up putting a lid over the rice after about the first twenty minutes of cooking. The toppings of parmesan and Italian bacon are essential for success. Based on the reaction from my family, I would definitely make this again!

• paramedicgirl

• Canada

• 3/19/2011

Yes, this is time consuming. Yes, it's worth it. I made an entire meal out of this risotto so I could focus my attention on it and not have to worry about a piece of meat to go with it. I cut the squash into pretty small pieces (maybe 1/3" instead of 1/2" pieces) and they do take a while to get soft. I didn't have sherry vinegar so I finished each step off with a tiny drizzle of balsamic, it was a nice touch. I loved cooking everything in the same pan, by the time the risotto went in there were all kinds of brown goodness on the bottom of the pan that really helped the flavor of the rice. Something about stirring a pot of risotto after a long day of work is calming, so I didn't mind the hour-plus it took to make this dish. So glad I get to eat leftovers tonight!!! Delicious!!!

• ksukris

• wichita ks

• 2/22/2011

So yummy! Obviously it's going to be on the sweeter side because of the nature of the squash, but the cheese really helps tone that down (I used a peccorino romano instead of the parmesan because it's what I had and it still came out great). This dish came in especially handy since my neighbor is gluten free and we wanted to have dinner together. Will definitely make again.

• krdemaio

• 2/19/2011

Shocked at the raves! This dish was very time-consuming and totally bland. We added lots of garlic, shallots and much more sage. Still tasteless! I'd never go to all the trouble again to make this. I have several risottos that FAR surpass this recipe.

• betc2

• 2/19/2011