Orzotto with Pumpkin and Sausage - Test 1

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/soniamascioli/orzo-risottato-con-zucca-e-salsiccia/

1 - Ben and Paz are happy with all the ratios. I worry there's too much cream. The one recommendation we all agree on is that the pumpkin was cubed too big and a bit undercooked.

2 - Success! I increased the pumpkin from 8oz to 1lb, cut it into smaller cubes and reduced the cream from 1.5 cups to 1 cup, which I increased to re-heat it (successfully) on the second day.

3 - I made some substantial changes. I removed the cream in favor of broth and added white wine to deglaze the pan. I also used pre-cooked pumpkin which I roasted in wedges (my lovely Musquée de Provence). I also discovered that this type of dish has its own name in Italian so changed it from Risotto to Orzotto. Odd that the original came from an Italian site...

TRY THIS VERSION

1Tbsp + 1Tbsp vegetable oil

240g barley

4 cups vegetable broth, plus extra if needed

1 small onion (4oz/115g) chopped

1 chilli pepper, chopped OR 1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 lb sausage meat (I use hot Italian sausage meat)

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 lb roasted Musquée de Provence pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces

1½ oz grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

Fresh parsley or lovage, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a saucepan and add the barley. Cook for a minute or two, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the broth, cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until the barley is cooked but still pleasantly chewy. Add a little water if it starts to look dry.
3. While the barley is cooking, heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion and chilli until the onion is translucent.
4. Crumble in the sausage meat and cook until well browned.
5. Drain off most of the rendered fat if there is any, leaving about 1–2 Tbsps in the pan.
6. Add the wine and stir well, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the wine has reduced and is almost completely gone.
7. Add the pumpkin to the sausage mixture and stir. Cook uncovered for a few minutes to integrate the pumpkin and to let any excess moisture evaporate. You should see no water pooling but instead have a glossy mass of deliciousness steaming in your pan.
8. Add 1 oz of the Parmesan, stir to combine, then cover and set aside while the barley finishes cooking. The barley will look a little soupy if it isn't stirred. Once stirred, there should be some liquid 
9. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the cooked barley and stir to combine. If the mixture seems too thick, add a splash of broth to loosen it.
10. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
11. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, chopped parsley or lovage and a few good grinds of black pepper.

LEFTOVERS 

To Reheat

Add more broth to reheat. The barley will have absorbed a lot of the moisture, so the extra broth brings it back to its previous sauciness. You will likely need much less than 1/2 cup.

To Make Patties

1 - This was very good. It took me a couple of goes, since I started just with the orzotto which easily crumbled when I tried flipping, then just with egg, same problem, until I added a bit of flour. I did it all pretty much on the fly, so I'm not sure what the ratios are at this point. But it worked well.

Can easily be made into patties. Add 1 or 2 eggs (probably just 1) and a bit of flour (of course I'll want to standardize this). Heat some oil in a pan for about 3-5 minutes before starting. Make 75gr patties and fry in the oil until browned on both sides.