A Halloween recipe fresh from Sussex - Pearled spelt and pumpkin risotto

Austin Gosling, head chef and Landlord at The White Horse, Chilgrove has put together a delicious autumnal dish, using fresh and local ingredients to tantalize your taste buds this Halloween…

Serves 4-6

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Ingredients

• 300g pearled spelt

• 75g butter

• 2 shallots finely chopped

• 500g pumpkin (peeled, deseeded and diced) – English Crown Prince pumpkins are best

• 150ml white wine

• 350ml vegetables stock

• 75g mascarpone

• 75g parmesan grated

• Maldon salt

• Handful of fresh Thyme

Method

1/ Rinse the spelt with cold water before cooking. Sweat the shallots in pan with butter then add the spelt and sweat off for 2 minutes

2/ add wine and let it cook off for 3 minutes. Then add the stock little by little. After 10 minutes cooking, add the diced pumpkin and let the risotto cook by adding the rest of the stock, stirring it regularly

3/ Just before serving add the pine nuts, mascarpone and grated parmesan and seasoning

Ingredients

• Pumpkin wedges

• Thyme

• Pine nuts

Method

1/ season raw pumpkin wedges with salt and fresh thyme and roast in the oven skin on for 20-30 minutes at 175⁰C

2/ toast the pine nuts in the oven for only a few minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle with olive oil and season to make them savoury