This week's new recipe is a quick and easy sweet potato and pumpkin orzo (risoni) with crispy sage and walnuts. The sweet potato and pumpkin give this pasta a delicious nutty-sweet flavour. Combined with the salty, crunchy toppings, and the creamy goat's cheese, this dish has the perfect flavours and textures all in one.
It is cooked very similarly to a risotto. The base ingredients are sautéed off, then the orzo added, followed by the liquids, and finally, the butter and Parmesan added to bring it all together and gloss it up.
Once the orzo is cooked, it may seem too liquidy, but this is the perfect consistency because as the orzo cools, it will firm up slightly. We want the end result to be smooth and silky orzo rather than a gluggy one.
You may also love my creamy zucchini risoni with lemon and fresh mozzarella.
Enjoy the recipe and please let me know if you have any questions.
Ingredients
Vegetarian 
15 minutes preparation time + 25 minutes cooking time 
5-6 - Olive oil
- Bunch of fresh sage leaves
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 500g sweet potato, grated (roughly 2 1/2 cups)
- 500g pumpkin, grated (roughly 2 1/2 cups)
- Pinch chili flakes (to your taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon smokey paprika
- 3 large cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
- 500g Orzo (Risoni)
- 3/4 cup (185ml) white wine
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup (250ml) water
- 80g parmesan or pecorino (roughly 1 cup), finely grated
- 40g butter (roughly 2 tablespoons)
- 100g goat's cheese
- Sea salt flakes
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
- In a large saucepan add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the walnuts, sage leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt flakes, then cook until the walnuts are golden and the sage is just crispy.
- Remove from the pan, place into a bowl, and set aside.
- In the same pan (no need to rinse) add a drizzle of olive oil, the grated sweet potato, and pumpkin, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and cooked through.
- Next, add a small knob of butter, the chili flakes, thyme, smokey paprika, and garlic, to the sweet potato and pumpkin mix and stir to combine.
- Add the orzo and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook for 1-2 minutes allowing the alcohol to cook off.
- Add the stock and water and stir well to combine.
- Continually stir the orzo over low-medium heat until the orzo is cooked through but still has a little bite to it.
- Add the parmesan and butter and stir to combine until smooth and silky. The mixture should look quite ‘loose’ but as it cools it will firm up a little. Add a little extra stock or water to loosen if necessary.
- Taste for salt and pepper and add as required.
- Serve topped with goat's cheese and the crispy sage and walnuts. Enjoy!
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