Risotto with pumpkin and sausage is one of the great autumn dishes of northern Italy. Sweet, creamy pumpkin melts into the rice, while crumbled sausage adds a savoury, slightly smoky depth. A knob of cold butter and Parmigiano Reggiano finish it off.
It is the ideal dish for a Halloween night at home: golden like a lantern, warming and easy to share. Make it with Delica or butternut pumpkin, which hold their shape and taste sweeter than the big carving pumpkins.
The right wine
Pumpkin is sweet, sausage and butter are rich. The wine needs fresh acidity to clean the palate and soft tannins that do not fight the sweetness.
- Barbera d'Asti "ZeroSette" 2022, Damilano – our first choice. Barbera has bright acidity and gentle tannins, so it lifts the creaminess and stands up to the sausage without overpowering the pumpkin.
- Lambrusco Reggiano Secco "Concerto" 2022, Medici Ermete – a dry, sparkling red from Emilia, the land of pork and pumpkin. The bubbles and fresh fruit cut through the butter and Parmigiano.
- Alto Adige Gewürztraminer "Joseph" 2022, Hofstätter – for the vegetarian version without sausage. Its aromatic, spicy notes echo the pumpkin, sage and nutmeg.
Serve the Barbera slightly cool, at 15–16 °C, and the Lambrusco at 10–12 °C.