Risotto in a Pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 100°C (approximately 160°F) convection.

Rinse the pumpkins and cut off the lids. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Then scrape out some of the flesh, leaving about 0.5 cm (approximately 1/4 inch). Place the hollowed-out pumpkins on the middle rack of the preheated oven to warm while preparing the risotto.

Peel the shallot and garlic and chop finely. Cut the scooped pumpkin flesh into small cubes. Heat the vegetable broth. Sauté the shallot and garlic for 1–2 minutes in a pan with 20 grams (approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons) of butter until shallot is translucent. Add the rice and pumpkin cubes, sauté briefly, and deglaze with half of the wine. Add remaining wine and enough broth to just cover the rice and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and lemon peel. Cook at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, and adding more broth as needed. Continue until all the broth is used and the rice still has a slight bite to it, about 15–20 minutes). Remove the lemon peel and bay leaf and stir in the Parmesan, saffron, and remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper.