The rich umami flavour of sundried tomatoes paired with the sweetness of roasted pumpkin are the perfect partners in this delicious vegetarian risotto. Roasting the kale before adding it gives it much more flavour and a slightly crispy texture.

I love a risotto and autumn flavours make up some of my favourite risottos (there will totally be a new mushroom risotto making an appearance soon!), they’re also the perfect comforting warming food for this cooling weather.

Everything for this risotto should be done within an hour. You can start the risotto while roasting the vegetables in your oven as those vegetables don’t get tossed in until the very end. I always start my risottos with celery and spring onion because of my miuld fructose intolerance but you could use your preferred onion along with the celery. Adding the celery not only adds flavour but an extra vegetable and that’s always a great idea.

You could easily make this vegan by leaving out the parmsesan. If you want to make it richer add 1 tsp of organic butter at the end.

You’re getting a great vatriety of oplant food with a vegetarian risotto and can really add whatever you please if you’ve been a bit low on your vegetable intake. Some mushrooms and spinach would also be great. I have been on holidays with my boyfriend visitng from the UK the last 2 weeks and I have not eaten enough of the things that are good for me! I well and truly went on holiday mode so to ease myself out of that I’m just focusing on upping my plant food intake and weaning myself off the Easter treats.

How do you readjust after a holiday indulgence?

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil (quantities in recipe)

500g butternut pumpkin, (remove skin and seeds and chop into bite sized pieces then weigh

1 Tbs fresh oregano leaves

3 cloves garlic

2 sticks celery

1/2 cup finely chopped spring onion

2 cups arborio or carnoroli rice

1 cup dry white wine (or whatever you have, dry rose works too!)

6 cups vegetable stock

3 cups roughly chopped kale

6 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/4 tsp white pepper

Black pepper and salt to taste.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray.

Toss pumpking with 1 Tbs olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and the fresh oregano. Add garlic cloves. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until just starting to colour. Place in a bowl, remove the garlic cloves from their skins and smash.

Meanwhile, add 1 tbs of oil to a hot  large heavy based fry pan with high sides. Add onion and celery and cook for a few minutes over medium low heat until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated.

Add the stock a cup or so at a time stirring after each addition and allowing to absorb before adding more. Add the garlic as soon as it’s cooked and stir this through too. Make sure you are gently cooking over a low heat.

WHile the risotto is simmering, toss the kale with a tsp or two of oil, massage in a spread over the lined oven tray. Bake for 5 minutes or until just starting to crisp. Add to the pumpkin.

Continue adding stock until you are at your last addition, at this point add the pumpkin, kale, sundired tomatoes and pine nuts and stir through. cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat when there is still some liquid left to absorb. Stir through the parmesan, white pepper and black pepper and add salt to taste.

HH. x