pumpkin risotto with shortcut fried sage salsa macha

a straightforward risotto with sweetness, smoke and spice

just loving this new plate i picked up at a flea market last weekend.

risotto is great and i don’t make it often enough. once you know the drill and get over the fact that you really do have to babysit it from beginning to end, it’s an extremely versatile dish that takes advantage of starchy, short grain rice to make an unbelievably creamy, comforting, economical meal. for this particular risotto, i wanted to keep it as simple as possible, bringing it together in one pot with no need to roast or puree the pumpkin. all it needs is a simple sauté with some shallots, olive oil, butter and salt, before it’s tender enough to smash a bit and continue on.

like most of us (hopefully?), i prefer my risotto on the more toothsome and looser end, as opposed to mushy and stodgy. it should be just thicker than soup when the rice is fully cooked (but still has bite), as it will both continue to cook and thicken once you remove it from the heat and stir in the butter. if you prefer your risotto a bit thicker, just let it sit for up to 10 minutes off the heat before serving.

i knew i wanted to top this simple pumpkin risotto with something fun and textural but still easy and quick. my main inspiration came from the pretty common combination of a slightly sweet, orange veg (think pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, carrots) with something pungent, smoky and spicy like chilis all ways (fresh, crisped, oiled, crushed or dried) or harissa paste.

my first test, full loaded with the salsa macha

i had some dried ancho chilis already in my pantry and knew i wanted to incorporate fresh sage too (pumpkin + sage = always a win), so i did some research and found

Kasim Hardaway

’s chunky and herby salsa macha recipe, which gave me a perfect jumping off point to make a delicious, yet easy condiment with plenty of texture and flavor thanks to crumbled bits of fried sage and its frying oil, roughly chopped pumpkin seeds, garlic, and blitzed chilis. it is very much not a traditional salsa macha, but rather leans on its common ingredients and flavors, then turns it into a shortcut version by pouring hot oil over the ingredients rather than cooking it down and/or blending it to a smoother, thicker consistency.

if you don’t want to make the salsa macha, you can also substitute it with your favorite chili crisp, store-bought or homemade. to keep the fried sage component, simply fry the leaves in a little bit of oil before removing and crumbling over each portion of risotto. top with a spoonful of chili crisp/crunch/oil, or just the fried sage and its frying oil if the smoke or spice doesn’t appeal to you.

*if you wish to have a salsa macha that you can keep in the fridge for weeks and use in any number of ways, simply omit the fried sage. keep the cooled salsa macha on hand and, when you want to make this dish, fry a few sage leaves in a small frying pan with just enough oil to coat the bottom; save the residual oil for another use, like fried eggs. crumble the fried sage over the risotto before topping with salsa macha.

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in case you missed it:

Other People's Kitchens Q&A with Devan Grimsrud

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pumpkin risotto with shortcut fried sage salsa macha

serves 2

for the fried sage salsa macha; can be made up to 5 days in advance (*see note in text above)

3 dried ancho chilis

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional; substitute: granulated sugar)

100 ml canola oil

8 fresh sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)

2 teaspoons distilled vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

for the pumpkin risotto

200 grams pumpkin (substitute: butternut squash, sweet potato)

1 large or 2 small shallots

1 liter vegetable broth

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

250 grams arborio rice (substitute: japanese short grain rice)

200 grams dry white wine (substitute: vegetable broth)

1. remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chilis and add to a blender or spice grinder. pulse to break up into flakes (don’t make it too powdery), then add to a heatproof (very important) bowl or jar with the sesame seeds and brown sugar. peel and mince the garlic and roughly chop the pumpkin seeds and add to the bowl or jar.

2. heat oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. once hot, add the sage leaves and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes, then remove the leaves to a paper towel to drain and carefully pour the hot oil directly into the bowl or jar with the chilis, stirring well to combine. set aside.

3. peel pumpkin and chop into bite-size pieces. peel and thinly slice shallot. add vegetable broth to a small pot over low heat; if you have a microwave, you can alternatively just heat the broth in the microwave until hot but not boiling.

4. before starting the risotto, add the dried oregano, vinegar and salt into the salsa macha. crumble in the fried sage leaves, then taste and season with more salt as desired.

5. add half the butter (2 tablespoons) and all the olive oil to a dutch oven or pot and melt over medium-high heat. add pumpkin, shallot and salt and let cook, stirring once or twice, until the shallot is starting to soften and brown and the pumpkin is just fork tender, 8 to 10 minutes. mash some of the pumpkin in the pot with your spatula, then add the rice and toast, stirring often, for a minute or two.

6. deglaze the pot with the wine, stirring constantly. once the rice has fully absorbed the wine, ladle in some of the warm vegetable broth, still stirring constantly. wait until the broth has been absorbed to add more, stirring the whole time. once all of the vegetable broth has been added, taste and test that the rice is tender and cooked through, but not mushy. remove from the heat. stir in the remaining butter (2 tablespoons) and season with more salt, as needed.

7. ladle the risotto into serving bowls or rimmed plates, then top with a generous spoonful of the fried sage salsa macha. serve immediately.