Hokkaido Pomegranate Risotto

Hope you all had a beautiful weekend. The weather in our neck of the woods has been really beautiful lately, loads of sunshine with a slight chill in the air. Perfect for long walks...

With Autumn in its full swing, one can see varieties of squash and pumpkins at the grocery store. I just couldn't stop myself from picking one up. At the store I thought I would make a Hokkaido soup, which I absolutely love. However, at the last moment, I had a change of mind and this delicious recipe was born. 

This risotto tasted simply awesome, with the pomegranate adding a slight sweet and fruity taste, the parmesan cheese adding on its own special flavour and obviously the hokkaido being the star ingredient. The parmesan cheese crisps (recipe here) not only makes the risotto look gourmet, but it adds crunchiness to it. 

Special thanks to my hubby, who helped me scooping out the squash and made his signature parmesan cheese crisps :-) 

Ingredients

1 - hokkaido squash, small size 

1 cup - arborio rice

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp - olive oil

1/4 cup - chives, finely chopped + to garnish

1 - onion, medium size, finely chopped

40 grams - parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated

1/4 cup - pomegranate seeds + to garnish

400 ml - water (more or less)

20 grams - parmesan cheese, grated, (to make crisps, see the recipe here)

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cut the top of the hokkaido squash horizontally, scoop out the seeds and then scrape off the flesh from the squash. (I got 1 cup of flesh from a small hokkaido)
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic, onions and the rice and saute for  a couple of minutes, stirring continously, on high flame.
3. Add salt, pepper and the finely chopped hokkaido squash and mix well.
4. Reduce the heat to low and keep adding water little by little, as it is absorbed.
5. When the rice is cooked, add the chives, the parmesan and the pomegranate seeds, and mix well.
6. Spoon the risotto into the hokkaido shell and garnish it with pomegranate seeds, chives and parmesan crisps and serve hot. 

Enjoy!