Wednesday 22 February 2012

Best Before Midnight

Risoni con Funghi, Zucca e Salvia
Risoni Noodles with Mushroom, Pumpkin and Sage


This is another one of those dishes that was improvised on the spur of the moment, using the off-cuts from yesterdays mushrooms and half of a Hokkaido pumpkin that needed some attention in my fridge- before it began to develop a life of its own! Yes- that can happen to the best of us! I had bought the little grapefruit-sized Hokkaido the other week and somehow not got around to using it- but was not really worried as they usually last for ages. Except for the one that I picked out at the market!

So along with bacon, sage, and a couple of other bits and bobs, I put together this delicious combination and made the best use of my little pumpkin before it turned into something else entirely...


I started off by browning a small handful of finely diced bacon and a handful of sage leaves in a dry non-stick pan. Once finished, I removed them and browned off some thinly sliced Hokkaido pumpkin in the fat that was left over in the pan. Once that was done, removed it and added some finely diced pumpkin, celery and garlic and fried that until the celery began to turn translucent, then added a couple of handfuls of risoni and deglazed the pan with 2 cups of boiling water.


I seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stirred continuously, as one would a risotto.
Next, I added the sliced mushrooms and a splash of mushroom ketchup, to heighten the flavor just a little. Keep adding boiling water, a little at a time as required and stir gently until the risoni has a chewy but silky consistency...


Serve immediately, with a topping of pumpkin slices and toasted sage leaves, some freshly cracked black pepper and a light dusting of salted Ricotta cheese... and enjoy! Buon apetito!

No comments:

Post a Comment