Recipe for pumpkin risotto

As a change from the usual risottos made with mushrooms or asparagus, here is a lavish autumnal variety to try.

This recipe combines pumpkin with the briny flavours of langoustines and bottarga (salt-cured roe), both of which pair wonderfully with the richness of Provolone and Parmesan cheeses.

Learn how to make your own version of bottarga, which can be used to season other dishes, by following the instructions from chefs Alessandra Del Favero and Oliver Piras. This dynamic duo, who have worked in the kitchens of many starred restaurants throughout their career, are now at the helm of Il Carpaccio in Paris. Their speciality is to bring out the best of high-quality transalpine products through simple recipes.

Egg yolk bottarga:

• 2 egg yolks
• 500g sugar
• 500g salt

Risotto:

• 200g carnaroli rice
• White wine and fish stock
• 50g butter
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• 20g smoked Provolone, grated
• 80g pumpkin purée (see Method for a homemade version)

Langoustines:

• 8 raw langoustines
• 1 lime

Pumpkin purée
Bake a whole pumpkin until tender. When cool, peel and deseed the pumpkin, then purée the flesh.

Egg yolk bottarga
Marinate the egg yolks in a bed of sugar and salt for at least 24 hours. Make sure the yolks are completely covered. After curing, lightly smoke them (if desired). Set aside until ready to use.

Risotto
Cook the rice in a pot and deglaze with white wine. Continue cooking while incorporating the fish stock. When the rice is done, add the butter, Parmesan, Provolone and then the pumpkin purée.

Langoustines
Season the raw langoustines with the juice and zest of a lime.

To serve
Place the risotto and prepared langoustines on a plate, then grate bottarga over the entire dish.

Don’t have time to cure egg yolks? You can buy vacuum-packed bottarga (also called boutargue or poutargue) that’s ready to use. Don’t hesitate to add this flavourful delicacy to other dishes.