Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Risotto

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Risotto with Amaretto Powder Giano, NYC

This fall recipe was stolen with permission from new Executive Chef Matteo Calciati of Giano, in the East Village. The restaurant is named after the Roman mythological deity of beginnings and endings who has two faces, looking towards the past and also towards the future. Giano, in the spirit of its namesake, honors both the past and future of Italian cuisine.

Even the design of the restaurant itself incorporates this outlook, the restaurant’s atmosphere shifts from sleek and sophisticated to rustic and homey. The entry features a wine bar made from 145 pounds of compressed sea salt and communal banquet tables with coordinating salt inlays, while individually carved wood tables, exposed brick, and a rustic wooden ceiling can be found in the back, bringing together Giano’s two functions of restaurant and wine bar.

The menu, driven by seasonal ingredients is divided into columns, one half features traditional Italian dishes while the other is more contemporary. Traditional appetizers include Insalata di Polipo alla Genovese, a warm octopus and potato salad served with tomatoes, black olives and arugula, dressed with a delicate and aromatic lemon vinaigrette. A modern example would be Fagottini di Manzo Farciti, a trio of domes made from filet mignon carpaccio stuffed with parmesan, goat cheese, and gorgonzola mousses, garnished with candied orange zest for the goat cheese, a balsamic reduction for the gorgonzola and a tuft of arugula for the parmesan.

Contemporary pastas include Maltagliati alla Carbonara di Pescatrice e Fave, which consists of wide homemade noodles lightly tossed in a creamy carbonara sauce with monkfish and fava beans, while a seasonal entrees for fall is a Braised Pork Shank marinated with red wine and topped in a sweet and savory sauce of cinnamon, coriander, and star anise.

About the chef: Matteo Calciati recently moved from Milan and joined his fellow Italians (also from Milan), owners Paolo Rossi and Matteo Niccoli at Giano. His previous experience has taken him from Lake Como to London and Africa in his quest to perfect his culinary technique, with extensive experience in the specialty restaurants of Milan.

Giano
126 E 7th St
New York, NY 10009
212 673 7200
www.gianonyc.com

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Risotto with Amaretto Powder is served at Giano for $14.

This recipe makes 4 restaurant servings.

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Risotto with Amaretto Powder Ingredients:
1 onion
10 oz Arborio rice
8 oz pumpkin pulp
3.5 oz gorgonzola
1 glass white wine
1pint vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 Amaretto cookies

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Risotto with Amaretto Powder Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions:
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan.
Add the onion and fry until browned.
Add the rice, stirring the rice until golden for about 5 minutes.
Add the white wine and keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed.
Continue stirring while adding the vegetable broth.
Add the pumpkin pulp.
Cook the rice, stirring often until the rice is cooked.
Crush the Amaretto cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.
Remove from the heat and add the butter and gorgonzola and stir.
Divide the risotto between 4 plates and top with crushed Amaretto cookies.
Buon appetito!

The following nutritional analysis is based on an approximate 6 oz. serving at home.

Nutritional information provided by www.menucalc.com

The nutritional information supplied is to be used as a guideline only and will vary depending on the amount and variety of each ingredient used.