Pumpkin & Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

Welcome back, hope you all had a great holiday weekend!  Always tough to come back to the real world, but we're all in this together right?! 

Within a couple days I had gotten a recipe recommendation from a friend, and found pretty much the same idea for a meal in Women's Health magazine.  I knew I had to try it!  Remember how I said I've been cooking with a lot of pumpkin?  I warned you :)

Begin by heating broth in saucepan until it begins to boil.  Then keep it simmering on the stove

Heat olive oil in a pan until hot but not smoking.  Add sage leaves and fry until crispy, around 10-15 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Keep around a tablespoon of the sage oil in the pan and discard the rest.  Heat oil over medium high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until translucent but not browned. 

Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is glistening and coated with oil.

Add mushrooms and wine, cook, stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated. 

Add one cup of broth and cook, stirring until it's evaporated, around 2-3 minutes. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting the broth absorb into the rice. The rice will begin to swell, and it should take around 18 minutes.

Add pumpkin puree into the pan.

Then add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Stirring until incorporated, 1-2 minutes. 

Divide risotto into bowls and garnish with sage leaves and additional Parmesan cheese.  This was creamy and delicious.  The pumpkin flavor mixed with the mushrooms was better than expected.  It's very filling, yet very good for you; per serving only 240 calories!  I made the whole serving size for C and I and had leftovers for another meal for both of us.  Yum!  

Pumpkin & Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4

5 cups low-sodium chick broth

1/4 cup olive oil

8 sage leaves, plus 2 teaspoons minced sage

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat broth in a saucepan until boiling, then keep it at a simmer on the stove.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan until hot, but not smoking

Add sage leaves and fry until crispy.

Transfer to  paper towel-lined plate.

Keep 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan and discard the rest.  

Heat oil over medium high heat, add shallots, and cook until translucent.

Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice has been coated with the oil.

Add mushrooms and wine, cook stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add 1 cup of broth, and stir until it's been absorbed by the rice.  

Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, constantly stirring.

Cook for around 18 minutes, the rice will swell, until you've used all the broth.

Add pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper and stir until incorporated.

Divide risotto among bowls and garnish with the fried sage leaves and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Pasta w/ Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

I'm going to warn you that the next couple of weeks are going to be filled with pumpkin recipes.  I've gone a little overboard, and hopefully you won't mind reading all of my pumpkin adventures.  I just can't seem to get enough, starting with this pasta in a creamy pumpkin sauce.  Perfect fall comfort food.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Reserve two cups of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.  In a large pan heat oil over medium heat.  Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until it starts to brown.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pan.

Carefully add pumpkin puree, garlic, half and half, Parmesan cheese, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of the pasta water.  

Stir sauce until heat through, 2-3 minutes.  Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat.  

Season generously with salt and serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary.  This dish reminded me of homemade mac and cheese, but with pumpkin instead of cheese.  It was delicious, and very filling.  The sauce isn't real thick, but it's perfectly seasoned!  

Happy Monday :)

Pasta w/ Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

12 oz penne, or other short pasta

coarse salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup half and half

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

In a large pan heat oil over medium heat.

Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pan.

Carefully add pumpkin puree, garlic, half and half, Parmesan, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and one cup of pasta water.  

Stir sauce until heated through, 2-3 minutes.

Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. 

Season generously with salt.

Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary.

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

It is FINALLY getting a little cooler here in Dallas, so I've begun some fall cooking.  It started with these pumpkin cookies, and what a great start it was.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl cream together butter and both of the sugars. 

Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.

In a separate bowl sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add the pumpkin and mix well.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the sugar and butter mixture.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for around 10 minutes.  The dough is a bit sticky to flatten before baking, so I flattened with the bottom of a class right when they came out of the oven.

While the cookies are baking, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to boil.

 Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Cool then stir in the powdered sugar. 

These cookies are tender and soft, and the frosting on top is the best part!  They taste more like pumpkin cake than pumpkin cookies.  A great start to fall baking, I hope you think the same after you try them out.

Make sure you register for my very first giveaway here!  Today is the last day to comment, good luck.

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Adapted from Let's Dish

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1  teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Frosting:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4  cup heavy cream

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl sift together baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. 

Add pumpkin and stir until combined.

Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for around 10 minutes. 

While cookies are baking make the frosting.

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, cream, and brown sugar.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to boil.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Cool then stir in the powdered sugar.

Spread frosting over cooled cookies and enjoy!