Award-winning chef-patron Pascal Canevet, of Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds, shares a heartwarming harvest recipe
Harvest is the perfect season to make the most of the abundance of local East Anglian produce and this easy dish is perfect to share with family and friends.
The journey of our fresh produce, from field to fork, is paramount to our cooking at Maison Bleue. We’ve developed long-standing friendships with our local producers to ensure the essence of our wonderful county is always showcased on our seasonal menu.
Hand-picking your pumpkin is a fun thing to do with the family, and we’ve harvested ours from the charity GeeWizz Pumpkin Patch at Hall Farm, in Bury St Edmunds. Open from 11am-3.30pm, from October 20-28, there are activities for all the family, refreshments and face painting. It’s good for children to appreciate how food is grown and see the fields of pumpkins.
PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUT RISOTTO
A simple heartwarming recipe full of autumn flavours
Serves 4
Ingredients:
350g of carnaroli rice
75g of cooked chestnuts, peeled and chopped
300g of peeled and seeded pumpkin
2 pints of vegetable stock
100ml of white wine
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
2 tbsp of premium olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped thyme
70g of grated parmesan
2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g of mascarpone
50g of salted butter
Method:
Peel the onion and chop into small cubes.
Peel and seed the pumpkin, then cut into 0.5 cm cubes.
Crush the chestnuts.
Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan then gently sweat the onions and garlic under low to medium heat for 2 minutes with a pinch of salt until the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the thyme.
Pour the rice in the pan and stir for about one minute until it becomes glossy and translucent.
Deglaze the rice with the white wine and stir under medium heat for three to four minutes until the wine has almost evaporated.
Add one cup of vegetable stock to the pan then add the pumpkin, stirring gently. Once the stock has been absorbed, continue one cup at a time to allow the rice to swell. Stir constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes. By that time the rice should be soft but with texture and a bit of a bite and the pumpkin should be tender.
Place a lid on the pan and allow the risotto to rest for one minute.
To serve:
Add the chestnuts, the grated parmesan, mascarpone, butter and roughly-chopped parsley. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the risotto into four deep bowls and top with grated parmesan.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
WINE PAIRING
Pair with Voignier, Tournée du Sud, full of crisp and fresh, with fresh peach, apple and white pepper flavours, or Chardonnay, Les Enfants Terribles with intense aromas of white flowers and fruits on the nose, rich and round in the mouth. A must try!
You can read more about Chef Pascal, Maison Bleue events and recipes at maisonbleueblog.co.uk
Pascal Canevet is chef chef-patron of award-winning Maison Bleue, an intimate fine-dining restaurant serving a modern French menu.
Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds.
maisonbleue.co.uk/01284 760623.
