Scallops with Pumpkin Risotto

Recipe courtesy of Dan Pennington
as seen on episode “Pumpkins”, season 5

For Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 can of pumpkin puree* or 1 ½ cups of diced sugar pumpkin
• 2 Cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ¾ cups risotto rice
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

For Scallops

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sea scallops
• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

Begin by making the risotto. Bring the chicken stock and water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Meanwhile saute the onion in the olive oil in a two quart sauce pan over moderate heat until soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes until lightly toasted. Slowly start adding the simmering stock to the rice mixture ½ cup at a time. Let most of the liquid absorb, then continue adding the stock ½ cup at a time until all of it is incorporated. This should take about fifteen or 20 minutes. The rice will be al dente. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the pumpkin puree, parmesan cheese and butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover to keep it warm.

Prepare the scallops by patting them dry and then seasoning with sea salt. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, but don’t let it smoke. Saute the scallops until golden brown, turning once. Reduce heat to low and add the butter and sage. Cook until the butter begins to brown lightly.

Serve the scallops over the risotto and drizzle with the brown butter

*NOTE:
A medium sized (4 pound) sugar pumpkin should yield around 1 ½ cups of mashed pumpkin. This puree can be used in all your recipes calling for canned pumpkin. To bake, simply cut the pumpkin in half and discard the stem, seeds and stringy pulp. In a shallow baking dish, place the two halves face down and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 1 ½ hours or until tender. Once the baked pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree or mash it.

Tags: Pumpkin, Risotto, Scallops, Seafood

Category: Recipes