Sugar Pumpkin and Apple Risotto with Sweet Italian Sausage

*Note: This recipe is very vegetarian-friendly! Just omit the sweet Italian sausage for a hearty, warming vegetarian risotto.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; line a baking sheet with foil, and lightly drizzle foil with a bit of oil to coat.

TIP: Prep all ingredients (chop, measure out, etc.) before beginning; this will help you have all items there at your fingertips once you are ready to start cooking. The prep work often takes longer than the cooking does!

1)Place the chicken stock in a small pot on the stove over low heat, and cover; allow to slowly come to a gentle simmer, while you prep your pumpkin and apples to roast. Once the stock is hot, cut the heat and keep the pot covered; have a ladle ready.
2)In a medium bowl, toss together the cubed pumpkin and apples with the pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper, honey and 2 Tablespoons of the light oil to coat; place them onto the foil-lined and oiled baking sheet, in a single layer, and roast them in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, fragrant and tender. (Give them a mix about halfway through with a spoon or spatula, so they don’t get burned on the bottom.)
3)Cook the sweet Italian sausage by crumbling it into a hot pan drizzled with just a touch of olive oil, and cook through until golden brown for about 5-6 minutes; let stand, covered.
4)While the pumpkin and apples roast, begin the risotto by preheating a heavy-bottom pan (roughly 3 quart) over medium/medium-high heat; add the 2 Tablespoons of butter and the remaining light oil to the hot pan to melt, then add the chopped onion and sweat for about 2 minutes until translucent;
5)Add the arborio rice and gently stir, making sure to coat all the rice grains in the butter/oil for about a minute or two;
6)Add the white wine to the rice and onions (careful if cooking with flame), and give a gentle stir; allow the wine to reduce until almost absorbed, but not quite completely;
7)Begin adding the hot chicken stock to the rice mixture, about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup at a time (about 1 to 1 1/2 ladles), stirring gently to incorporate and allowing the rice to slowly absorb the stock; (adjust your flame if necessary, so the rice is at a gentle simmer, not bubbling too harshly, evaporating the stock too quickly);
8)Once this first increment of stock is mostly absorbed (roughly 3 minutes), add another 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of stock, stirring and allowing it to almost absorb, repeating this process until the rice is soft and creamy, but not mushy – about 23 minutes or so, total. (*You don’t have to stand over the risotto guarding it the entire time, just don’t walk away for too long as the stock can absorb fairly quickly.)
9)Once the arborio rice is soft and creamy, turn off the heat; finish with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter, the shaved parmesan, the sweet Italian sausage and the roasted pumpkin and apples; gently fold all ingredients together in the pan, and sprinkle in about 1/2 of your chopped fresh sage (about 2 leaves). Check and adjust your seasoning, as far as salt and pepper go, if necessary.
10)Voila! Spoon into bowls or onto plates, and garnish with remaining fresh sage. Enjoy!