Pumpkin Pancetta Risotto

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Pumpkin pancetta risotto is a warm, comforting dish with arborio rice, diced pancetta and topped with fried sage.

Fall is in the air, and we are celebrating our love of pumpkin with #PumpkinWeek hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. All week-long 34 bloggers will be sharing 140+ fantastic recipes for all your Autumn celebrations, including breakfasts, baked goods, savory pumpkin recipes, desserts, and drinks. Thank you sponsors for providing the prize packages. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below! Giveaway has ended; prize info and entry form deleted.

Risotto is one of those dishes that I wonder how it was invented. Did someone just wonder what would happen if they gradually added hot liquid to arborio rice? Well, since risotto has been around since the early 1800s, it's not easy to find out.

Anyway, risotto is a creamy rice dish. The creaminess comes from the starches in the rice that are released as the rice is stirred in very little liquid, which is why it's important to add the broth very gradually.

Keep in mind that pancetta is a salty meat, so limit the additional salt you add to this dish. Taste as you go to ensure you don't oversalt your risotto.

I prefer to have risotto as a side dish, but this could also be served as an entree. If you want to add bit more meatiness, you could add in some sliced mushrooms along with the ohion.

Risotto doesn't keep very well, so it should be served very shortly after it is prepared. It also doesn't reheat very well, so don't make much more than what you think you'll need.

So, yes, this is a dish that requires lots of hands-on cooking, so it's not a great option for busy weeknights. It's a dish that feels special, so I like to serve it on holidays or when I have friends over for a nice dinner.

Adapted from Cooking and Beer

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