Roast Pumpkin Risotto, Toasted Hazelnuts & Blue Cheese

Thu, 9 October 2025

Roast Pumpkin Risotto, Toasted Hazelnuts & Blue Cheese 

Takes: 1 Hour

Makes: Main course for 4

Pre-heat oven to 200C 

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium pumpkin or small butternut squash, skinned and cubed 

• 1 medium white onion, chopped finely 

• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed 

• 300g risotto rice 

• 80g butter (change to oil to make vegan) 

• 2tbls olive oil 

• 1L vegetable stock 

• 200ml white wine 

• 100ml cream/cremefraiche (optional) 

• Handful sage leaves or thyme (crisp up in a pan of butter/oil) 

• 100g Roasted hazelnuts, chopped 

• 100g Blue Cheese, crumbled or cheese of choice 

Method: 

1. Chop up the pumpkin or squash into cubes. Some people like to leave the skin of squash on.  
2. Place the chopped pumpkin on a roasting tray and season with salt pepper and olive oil. 
3. Roast in the oven at 200c for about 25-30mins or until tender. This can be done in the air fryer for 15-20 minutes. Also the timing will depend on how small you cut them. 
4. In a deep sauce pan, add half your butter and all the chopped onions. Allow to sweat over a low to medium heat for ten minutes. 
5. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt & black pepper. 
6. Toss in the rice and coat it fully with the butter and other ingredients. Then pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce. 
7. Add a ladle of the hot stock and leave it to simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally. 
8. Repeat this process a ladle at a time and keep stirring until absorbed.  
9. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat up the other half of the butter over a high heat, add the sage or thyme and allow to warm up. 
10. Taste the rice to see if it is cooked, it with still have a bite to it but not hard. If it is too hard just add some more stock or water until cooked. 
11. Take the pumpkin from the oven and put half in the food processor with the cream/crème fraiche(or some stock) and blitz. Add this puree and the roasted pumpkin to the barley mixture. 
12. Fold in ½ the cheese, taste for seasoning, plate up straight away.Garnish each plate with cheese, chopped hazelnuts & thyme.