I love cooking FODMAP friendly risotto’s as they are so quick – no onion or garlic chopping required!

I feel like with FODMAP friendly cooking sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can still tell its lacking onion or garlic. I am a massive fan of garlic so I tend to notice when it’s missing! But with this recipe, if I did a blind tasting I don’t think I could tell! This was one of the very first FODMAP recipe I made Che, my partner after he went on the FODMAP diet. I think we were both surprised by how much we liked it and this recipe proved a turning point for me in my attitude towards cooking without garlic! It IS still possible to make delicious food. Whilst there is nothing new about pumpkin risotto, the addition of truffle oil and lots of fresh herbs really lifts this recipe. I think it’s also important to put lots of effort into roasting the pumpkin. I like it when it is really well roasted and golden with brings out its natural sweetness.

Pumpkin, spinach and pine nut risotto with truffle oil (FODMAP friendly)

Prep time: Approximately 1 1/2 hours (including wait time for the pumpkin to cook)

Serves: 4 - 6

Dietary guide: Gluten Free, FODMAP friendly, Vegan and dairy free alternative provided

Ingredients

For the roasted pumpkin

1kg or ¼ of a large Japanese pumpkin

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the risotto

Hand full of chopped spring onion – green part only, dirt removed

1 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1 ½ cup of risotto rice – I use Vialone Nano or Carnaroli

4 sprigs of thyme, stalk removed and chopped

2 bay leaves

400ml of dry white wine

4 Massel “chicken“ stock cubes (or another FODMAP stock)

1 1/2 litres of hot water

2 cups of chopped baby spinach

1 tablsepoon of truffle oil

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

1 tablespoon of chopped dill

1 tablespoon of chopped chives

1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon

1 tablespoons of truffle oil

50g of cold unsalted butter cubed

½ cup of grated parmesan

Pine nuts roasted to serve

Extra parmesan for serving

Method

For the roasted pumpkin: Pre-heat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius. Prepare two medium baking trays by covering them with a sheet of reusable non-stick silicone or baking paper. Remove any pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin with a large spoon and carefully take the skin of the pumpkin with a sharp knife. Chop into small cubes about the size of a dice. I like to keep them small so when you take a bite of the finished risotto you get a nice mix of flavors and you are not overwhelmed by large chunks of pumpkin. Toss the diced pumpkin in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season. Spread out evenly on the trays in one single layer making sure its well spaced with the pumpkin not touching each other. Place in the oven.

After about ¾ of an hour turn the trays around and turn the oven down 20 degrees if the pumpkin is starting to brown already. You want them to be slow cooked. Cook for about another 30-45 minutes. Check on them periodically and remove any pumpkin from the edges that are going brown – the pumpkin on the edge usually cooks quicker but the middle of the tray will need a bit longer to get them all golden and delicious. Once you are happy, retake the pumpkin out of the oven and set aside. Try not to touch them until the pumpkin has cooled – this helps them to keep their shape intact so you don’t end up with roasted pumpkin puree. I usually do this step in advance, but if you are not, only start cooking the risotto after the pumpkin has been cooking for 45 minutes otherwise the risotto will be ready before the pumpkin and it will mess up the order of cooking – you don’t want to try and stir the pumpkin through cold risotto!

Roast the pumpkin until it all golden and delicious looking!

It’s all the little details that add up……..

For the risotto: To start the risotto, place the olive oil and the garlic infused oil in a large thick-based saucepan (big enough for the risotto) on a low-to medium heat. Warm the oils and add the thyme, bay leaf and green onions and sauté for a minute. Add the rice and cook for a further two minutes. This helps infuse some of the herb and garlic flavour into the rice. Add the white wine, stirring a few times until its mostly evaporated. Add the stock cubes and ½ cup of water; stir gently a few times until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Continue this process of adding half a cup of hot water at a time stirring frequently and waiting from most of the water to be absorbed before adding more. This absorption process should take around half an hour.

After four cups have been added and absorbed, test the risotto to see if it’s nearly cooked. You want to the rice to still have a little bite but it should be cooked through and not chalky. Remember it will continue to cook a little bit after you have taken it off the heat. The risotto should be like a thick stew with some thick liquid but not watery like a soup. Add more hot water if needed to get it to this stage. Add the spinach, roasted pumpkin (reserve a small amount for garnish if you wish) and truffle oil and stir. Wait a minute to allow the spinach to wilt, stir again gently and take it off the heat. Dot the cold butter over the top and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Put the lid on the saucepan and leave for five minutes.

Take the lid off, add the fresh herbs and stir well but lightly – try not to break up the pumpkin too much. Season with pepper and taste and adjust if you need.You may want to add salt but it will already be salty from the dairy and stock. You might like it cheesier or with extra herbs – it’s up to you! Serve with freshly grated Parmesan, pine nuts, extra pumpkin if you kept some and a little drizzle of truffle oil. It’s also nice with a little dressed wild rocket on top. Enjoy!

Cooking note: You don’t need to use all of the herbs I have listed and they can be swapped for whatever you have on hand. I recommend trying to include chives (for onion type flavor) and if your can access tarragon try and include it as it goes really well with the pumpkin. Basil, when it’s in season is a great addition.

Vegan/dairy free dietary alternation: Omit the butter and Parmesan. Instead add 1 teaspoon of shiro miso and 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast flakes (more if you want a stronger flavor) just before adding the spinach. Also add a pinch of lemon zest just before serving and I would add a little extra truffle oil and pine nuts over the finished risotto to make up for the richness lost from not adding dairy.