Serves 4 people:

Cut about 600 grams of pumpkin into thick cubes and generously season it with two cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and oil. Place the pumpkin in the oven and let it cook for about 30 minutes at 180°.

While the pumpkin bakes, prepare the vegetable broth, which will also be used in the risotto.

To prepare the broth, boil 2 liters of water with 2 carrots, a potato, a stalk of celery, an onion and a zucchini. Season the broth with half a handful of sea salt. Alternatively, the broth can be prepared with a nut. Let the broth boil for about 45 minutes.

Blend the pumpkin by adding a ladle of broth, until the cream is smooth and relatively thick.

Crusty Bread Crumbs:

Put 3 slices of bland or old bread into a small mixer and mix it for a few seconds, until obtaining a slightly larger crumb than the breadcrumbs. Add chives and then cook the mixture over low heat, in a small sauté pan. Cook until the crumbs are golden and crispy. Put them aside and allow them to cool.

Risotto:

In a sauté pan, melt 80 grams of butter. Then, chop half of a small onion into squares and add it to the pan. Add 400 grams of rice. Cook this for a minute, before slowly adding a generous ladle of broth to the mixture. Add another ladle of broth every time it is absorbed by the rice. Cook until the rice is al dente, this should take about 15 minutes. Once the rice is al dente, add the pumpkin cream and one last ladle of broth. Stir the mixture and let it rest for a few minutes.

Serve the risotto on a flat plate. Cover it with a generous layer of breadcrumbs and parmesan.

Special thanks to Giacomo Malvezzi