After you have cut the pancetta into thin, short strips, heat up a fry pan with EVOO and add them in. Let this cook on a medium heat for around ten minutes or until they begin to caramelize and become crispy.

Heat up another fry pan and add EVOO and a couple of small branches of rosemary. When the aroma becomes really strong, remove the rosemary and add the onion and sage leaves.

Let this simmer on a medium heat until it begins to brown.

Add the pumpkin to the pan and mix it around with the onion for around 2-3 minutes. Then, using a ladle, spoon 2 – 4 scoops of stock and mix well.

Let this simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the pumpkin becomes nice and mushy.

Squash the pumpkin down a little more using a wooden spoon then grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and mix again.

Once this is ready, add the rice and stir it through. Then, begin to ladle the stock in and mix simultaneously.

As the liquid disappears, you need to continue to add stock and then stir it through. This process will take around 25 minutes in total.

At this point, chop up the pancetta into smaller pieces then scoop up a small amount of the pumpkin risotto and taste it – if it’s nice and soft, the pumpkin risotto is ready and you can add around half of the pancetta and stir it through.

Now switch off the heat and add a few pieces of butter, mixing them through as they quickly melt thanks to the heat which is still in the pan.

Remove the pan from the stove and serve.

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!