NEW FOREST TODAY MAGAZINE

Bumper harvest

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Autumnal freshness from the forest larder

In the New Forest, this season of mellow fruitfulness brings a bumper harvest of fabulous produce to be used in traditional and contemporary recipes.

The New Forest Marque supports local food producers to bring the best of the forest to your plate. Using top quality seasonal produce from three New Forest Marque members, why not serve this delicious dish and enjoy a taste of autumn in the forest.

By buying produce from a New Forest Marque member, you can be certain that the product is local and meets stringent quality standards. Other local pumpkin, cheese or mushrooms can be used as an alternative in this recipe.
For more information about the New Forest Marque and its producers, visit newforestproduce.co.uk

Ingredients
1 small pumpkin from Sunnyfields organic farm
200g Lyburn Old Winchester cheese
500g Mrs Tee’s mixed wild mushrooms – whatever is freshly picked!
2 garlic cloves
Good olive oil
Fresh sage leaves, torn
Sea salt and black pepper
3 large knobs butter
1 large onion
400g/14oz arborio or other Italian risotto rice
Large glass of dry white wine
Around one and a half litres hot vegetable stock – more if required

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Cut the pumpkin into 6-8 wedges, remove the seeds and place in a roasting tray with finely chopped garlic, 8 torn sage leaves, salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until softened.
Leave the pumpkin to cool slightly, then scrape the soft flesh away from the skin into a bowl. Lightly mash with a fork but leave fairly chunky in texture. Pour any sticky juices left in the roasting tray into the bowl and keep warm while making the risotto.
Heat the olive oil and a good knob of butter in a deep frying pan. Gently fry the chopped onion until softened. Add the mushrooms and sauté quickly. Remove them before they begin to brown from the pan and keep warm with the pumpkin.
Leave the onions in pan and add the rice and stir for a few minutes until the grains are coated with the oil and butter.
Pour in the wine and stir continuously until it has been absorbed into the rice. Add a good ladle of hot stock and more torn sage leaves, about 6-8, and season well with salt and pepper.
Turn the heat down so the stock is simmering gently. Keep adding ladles of stock as it cooks into the rice, stirring the rice around in the pan. After about 15-20 minutes the rice should be soft but still have a bit of bite left in it. The texture of the risotto should be thick and creamy, but not too loose, add extra stock if necessary.
Remove the pan from the heat and gently fold the roasted pumpkin and sautéed mushrooms into the risotto with about two thirds of the Old Winchester cheese, finely grated, the remaining butter and seasoning to taste. Add any extra stock if the risotto seems particularly thick. Cover with a lid for a couple of minutes as this will give the risotto an even creamier texture.
Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls and scatter with the extra shavings or grated Old Winchester cheese and garnish with a sage leaf or two.