Bacon – 50 gr.
Shallot onions – 2 pcs.
Pumpkin – 500 g.
Olive oil – 4 tbsp.
Arborio rice – 200 gr.
White dry wine – 100 ml.
Chicken broth – 500-600 ml.
Mascarpone – 2 tbsp.
Parmesano – 50 gr.
Black pepper – to taste
Salt – to taste

Making risotto is not difficult, but remember that this dish requires constant attention. For best results, stir the risotto often and try not to overcook the rice, which should stay a little firm in the middle.

1 Fry the bacon in a pan without oil until golden. Place it on a paper towel to absorb any excess fat and set it aside.

2 Using a large spoon, remove the fibrous part of the pumpkin, peel it and slice it into small cubes.

3 Finely chop the shallots.

4 Melt the olive oil in a shallow saucepan and sauté the shallots until transparent, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.

5 Add the pumpkin to the onions, mix well and sauté all together for a couple of minutes, also stirring continuously.

6 Add the rice to the onion and pumpkin, mix well and when the rice is translucent, pour white wine into the pan.

7 When the wine is almost completely absorbed into the rice, start gradually adding the hot stock, stirring the rice continuously. Once the first portion of the stock is almost completely absorbed into the rice, add the next ladleful of hot stock and, stirring constantly, wait for it to be absorbed. Also continue to add more broth and don’t forget to stir the rice constantly with a wooden spatula. The whole process should take about 15 minutes.

8 A couple of minutes before it is ready, add the fried bacon, mascarpone and half of the grated Parmesan to the risotto. Mix well. Salt the dish to taste, but remember that bacon and parmesan are salty enough on their own, so salt may not be necessary at all.

9 Remove the risotto pan from the heat, cover and leave for 2 minutes.

10 Serve the risotto in deep plates with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan on top.