We are cheering the cooler temperatures; a new page has been turned on the calendar, and fall decorations grace our houses – it’s natural for us to feel a desire for fall-inspired foods as well.

To wit – I took out my stack of ‘proven winner’ recipes and pulled out those that would inspire warm, fuzzy, fall feelings:

French Apple Cake

Spicy Lasagna Soup

Meatballs and Spicy Meat Sauce

Cranberry-Orange anything

Crockpot Soups galore

And …

Curried Pumpkin and Mushroom Risotto

I had drawn two hearts on my recipe, and there were helpful notes jotted in the margins. It was like seeing an old friend after an absence.

There was a time when just seeing the word ‘risotto’ would have intimidated me. What was that?

Now, I know it’s simply an Italian rice dish, slowly cooked with broth – a little dab at a time – stirred a lot until there is a creamy consistency, and the rice is al dente.

A special short grain, high-starch rice is used – usually arborio rice – that gradually releases its starch to create a creamy texture, but does not absorb so much fluid that it becomes mushy.

Perfection, basically.

My original recipe came from EatingWell, but I found exact copies under other names. It’s so hard to own a recipe. I have tweaked the original a bit, and am making it available to you to download and print.

Here are some basic risotto facts and pointers:

Risotto is a dish, not a type of rice you use to cook

Risotto is gluten free – it’s made from rice, not pasta made from grain

White wine is a common ingredient used in many versions of risotto – I did not know this, but after my first tasting sample, I instinctively added a splash or two of dry sherry that fixed what was missing for my palate.

My recipe used a small amount of oil for the sauteing of the leeks, but most recipes often use butter. I had to double the oil, but will use a combination of olive oil and butter next time.

Lest we all get laughed at, risotto is to be eaten with a fork, not a spoon, even if it’s in a shallow bowl. Apparently, there are those who care – it’s a thing. Thank heavens the table etiquette police were not around when we taste-tested today using spoons. At least we didn’t lick our bowls – we settled for considerable scraping, though! It was that good.

In addition to the downloadable recipe that follows, I also want to send you a link to a site that explains the risotto method quite well and offers another great basic recipe: Spruce Eats

Here is our download for Curried Pumpkin and Mushroom Risotto:

If you love the subtle umami flavors of mushrooms mingling with a hint of pumpkin, I think you will enjoy this fall favorite of mine.

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In health –

Deidre