Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Carnaroli rice you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Carnaroli rice (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	Quantity
Delica or Mantovana pumpkin, trimmed raw	650 g
Extra-virgin olive oil (for the base)	25 g (about 2 tbsp)
Shallot, finely chopped (or 1 medium onion per 4 people)	2
Carnaroli rice	320 g
Dry white wine, optional, or see alternatives	120 ml
Hot vegetable stock	1400 ml

Halfway through cooking, fold in the cooked, mashed pumpkin (see method).

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

1. Ingredients
2. Step-by-step recipe
3. Cooking mushrooms separately: umami and depth
4. Toasting the rice
5. Adding stock and mushrooms
6. Mantecatura: butter, oil, Parmigiano
7. Plant-based mantecatura: alternatives to butter
8. A note on mushrooms: alternatives to porcini
9. A note on shallots: alternatives
10. A note on miso and soy sauce
11. Storage
12. Scientific evidence

1. Ingredients

Pan-seared mushrooms (separate pan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Extra-virgin olive oil (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh mushrooms: porcini, button, or see section below (g)	600	450	300	150	75
Dried porcini, rehydrated, optional (g)	40	30	20	10	5
Garlic, crushed (cloves)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh thyme (sprigs)	8	6	4	2	1
Soy sauce, optional (ml)	16	12	8	4	2
White miso, optional (g)	20	15	10	5	2.5
Black pepper	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Extra-virgin olive oil (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Shallot, finely chopped (pieces)	4	3	2	1	½
Carnaroli rice (g)	640	480	320	160	80
Dry white wine, or see alternatives below (ml)	240	180	120	60	30
Hot vegetable stock (ml)	2800	2100	1400	700	350
← fold in the pan-seared mushrooms 3 min before end

Mantecatura (off the heat, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Cold butter, cubed, or see alternatives below (g)	120	90	60	30	15
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (g)	160	120	80	40	20
Extra-virgin olive oil, raw, to finish (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh parsley, chopped, optional	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste
Salt (only if needed after tasting)	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste

2. Step-by-step recipe

Preparation (before starting)

Rehydrate dried porcini (optional, if using dried porcini): cover with 200 ml of hot water (not boiling) and leave for 20–30 minutes. Lift gently, squeeze out excess water; filter the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve (or kitchen paper) and add it to the stock.
Vegetable stock: bring to temperature and keep warm on low heat throughout cooking.

vegetable broth, to which I added slices of portobello mushrooms to give the broth a bit more umami

Fresh mushrooms: clean with a damp cloth, cut into thick slices (~5 mm). Do not wash under running water.

and here are two beautiful portobello mushrooms of 150g each. In addition to these I also used some piopini

Shallot: mince finely.
Phase 1 — Cooking the mushrooms (separate pan)
Heat a wide pan over high heat with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (for 4 people; this is the mushroom-pan oil, separate from the rice oil).
Arrange the 300 g fresh mushrooms in a single layer (work in two batches if needed). Do not move them for 2–3 minutes until a golden crust forms.
Flip, cook another 2 minutes.
Add the 20 g rehydrated porcini, squeezed; cook 1 minute.
Lower the heat; add 2 cloves crushed garlic and 4 sprigs thyme. Cook 30 seconds.
Umami deglazing: deglaze with 8 ml soy sauce, stir for 15 seconds.
Turn off the heat; dissolve 10 g white miso (optional) in the pan juices, stirring (miso must not be cooked at high heat or it loses aroma). Adjust pepper.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of pan juices.

here's what remains of the portobello mushrooms after deglazing with soy sauce. I suggest using NON non-stick pans (aluminum, steel) because in my opinion it's easier to control the Maillard reaction

Phase 2 — Cooking the rice (separate saucepan)
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (for 4 people; this is the rice-saucepan oil) over medium heat.
Sauté the 2 shallots, minced for 2–3 minutes until translucent (do not brown).
Raise heat to medium-high. Pour the 320 g Carnaroli rice dry into the sautéed shallot.
Toast the rice, stirring constantly for 2–3 minutes: the grains should turn translucent at the edges, hot to the touch, with a slightly nutty aroma. They must not colour.
Deglaze with 120 ml dry white wine: pour in and stir until the alcohol evaporates completely (~1 minute; the hissing in the pan subsides).
Lower to medium heat. Add one ladle of hot stock at a time (1400 ml vegetable stock in total for 4 people).
Stir regularly (not obsessively; every 30–45 seconds is enough). Add the next ladle when the previous one is almost fully absorbed.
Continue for about 14–15 minutes.
When 3 minutes remain: fold in the sautéed mushrooms and their pan juices. Stir gently to incorporate without breaking them.
Taste the rice: it should be al dente, with a slightly firm core.
Phase 3 — Mantecatura
Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Immediately add 60 g cold butter, cubed, and 80 g grated Parmigiano.
Do not stir with a spoon: grip the handle of the saucepan and push it back and forth vigorously, making the rice fold onto itself in a wave for 40–60 seconds, until a glossy, uniform cream forms.
Cover with a lid and let rest 1–2 minutes.

and here it is, after mantecatura, in this case with frozen extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano

up close you can see how creamy it is, none of the tasters complained about the absence of butter

Serve on a warm plate; the risotto should "flow" forming a wave (all'onda). If too thick, adjust with half a ladle of hot stock before plating.
Taste and adjust salt only if needed: the Parmigiano and soy sauce are already salty, so extra salt is often unnecessary.
Optional, to taste: finish with freshly chopped parsley, a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

And here is the mushroom risotto, mantecato with extra virgin olive oil and 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano

3. Cooking mushrooms separately: umami and depth

Why cook them separately

Mushrooms contain ~90% water. Adding them raw to the risotto releases moisture into the rice uncontrollably, resulting in "boiled" mushrooms (grey, rubbery) and a watery risotto. Cooking them separately in a very hot pan enables the Maillard reaction: surface water evaporates, proteins and sugars caramelise creating the golden crust and intense flavour we seek.

Mantecatura on 🍽️ Recipes & ⚗️ Analysis by Diego

Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

1. Ingredients

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

1. Ingredients

Pan-seared mushrooms (separate pan, in order of addition)

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Mantecatura (off the heat, in order of addition)

2. Step-by-step recipe

Preparation (before starting)

3. Cooking mushrooms separately: umami and depth

Why cook them separately