Maggie Beer's Pumpkin, Verjuice and Olive Oil Risotto

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.

2. Place the pumpkin pieces on a tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and cracked pepper. Bake in the oven at 200ºC for 10 minutes until pumpkin edges become a little caramelised.

3. Deglaze the pumpkin with 3 tablespoons of verjuice and bake for a further 2 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. Pour the stock into a saucepan and heat on stove over medium heat.

5. In a wide-based pan, or shallow-sided large saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter and sauté onion on medium heat until golden. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then increase the temperature to medium-high.

6. Make a well in the centre of the pan and add the remaining verjuice and continue to stir until the liquid evaporates.

7. Reduce heat, adding a full ladle of stock at a time and stirring until stock has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat this process – adding stock ladle by ladle and stirring continuously until three quarters of the stock has been used. It should take 15-20 minutes.

8. Add half the pumpkin and its juices. Increase the heat, add last of the stock (again, ladle by ladle and stirring continuously) and the remaining baked pumpkin.

9. Remove pan from heat and stir in crème fraiche and about half of the Parmesan.

10. Finally, top with the chopped flat-leaf parsley, some freshly-ground black pepper, the remaining Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Serve.