Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Risotto with Baby Spinach and Pine Nuts

So this has pretty much become my staple, yes it is a little time consuming but well worth the effort!

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 half butternut pumpkin (roughly 1kg)
1 bulb of garlic
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups aborio rice
1 litre vegetable stock
500 gr baby spinach
1/2 cup of pinenuts (or more if your like me)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees celcius

Remove seeds from pumpkin and place flesh down on a baking tray, then remove outer layer of garlic bulb ensuring that cloves are still intact, cut off the top of the bulb and place on baking tray. Cover both pumpkin and garlic with 1tbsp of the oil. Roast garlic for 30 mins and pumpkin for 50 mins. Once cooked, remove the flesh from the skins and place into a bowl and mash.

Whilst the garlic and pumpkin are baking put the stock in a saucepan and heat until warm, once warm reduce temperature and cover to reduce evaporation.

Put remaining 2tbsp of oil into a large fry pan, add onion and sweat on a low to medium heat for approx 8 mins ensuring that onions stay transparent and dont go brown.

Add rice to oil and toast for 5 minutes.

Once rice is toasted add 1 to 2 ladels of vegetable stock at a time to the rice, ensuring all liquid is absorbed until the next is added, until stock is gone.(You may need to add some water if rice isnt cooked to desired consistancy)

Add baby spinach and cook until wilted

Dry roast pine nuts in a small fry pan over a medium heat until browned, ensure that you dont burn them, then add to rice.

Add mashed pumpkin and garlic mixture to rice and combine well.

Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste.