In the mood for something italian, I whipped up this delicious and easy risotto for two. I found the recipe on the Women's Weekly website and modified it slightly to suit a low FODMAP diet. Feel free to experiment with any additional ingredients. I had pumpkin and pancetta in my fridge so i chose to use them.
Pumpkin and Pancetta Risotto
serves 2
3/4 cup arborio rice
15g butter (fine on the FODMAP diet) or olive oil (if you are feeling healthy or cannot eat dairy)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic (most people are okay with a small quantity of garlic but do not include this if you are worried)
approx 3-4cups chicken stock (I used homemade chicken stock which is the best option but if you can't do this Campbells Real Chicken Stock is fine or if you are celiac 'massel' and 'maggi' make GF chicken stock cubes. Just make sure the stock doesn't contain things like 'onion powder' which are not suitable for a low FODMAP diet.
grated parmesan cheese (or try goats cheese if you are dairy intolerant)
250g pumpkin, chopped into 2cm cubes
2-3 slices of pancetta
2 tsp fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Line a tray with baking paper and toss pumpkin on, drizzle with olive oil (about 1 tbsp) and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary. Then roast for 10 minutes. Then roughly shred the pancetta and place onto the tray with the pumpkin and roast for another 10 minutes.
meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Using a large non-stick frying pan, melt the butter (or heat the oilve oil) over a med/high heat and add the crushed garlic. Stir for about one minute. Add rice and stir to coat (about 1 min). Add the white wine and stir briefly, then shake the pan slightly to move the rice around a bit until all the liquid has been absorbed. The rice should be simmering. Then add the chicken stock gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) and let the rice simmer and absorb the liquid in between additions. Try not to stir the rice too much as this makes the risotto gluggy instead of glossy and creamy. Once the rice is cooked (still ever so slightly chewy is best) stir in the pumpkin and pancetta. Then add grated parmesan. I usually add about 1/3 of a cup but feel free to add less/more to your liking. Goats cheese is a great alternative for this dish. Just crumble a few tablespoons in and give a stir to get a lovely, creamy texture.
serve topped with a few parmesan shavings. I love to eat this with a little side salad of rocket and/or spinach. The colour blend of vibrant orange, dark pink and lush green is fantastic!
Add-in inspiration: try mushrooms (add in a little earlier so they cook through), marinara mix and lemon, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, pesto (no cream!), chicken, lamb, duck etc(a great way to use up left-over roasted meat!)
I find that a simple risotto made with just stock, butter, saffron and a bit of parmesan is a beautiful accompaniment to have with lamb (think lamb shanks with rosemary....mmmm).
