It’s autumn
again, and I have just returned home to Australia
after 15 years in Europe , so find myself in the
season for the second time this year. Luckily it is my favourite season, and
even though autumn in Luxembourg
is very different to autumn in Sydney
For me and
nothing goes better with pumpkin than sage, and by lucky coincidence I have a
large sage bush on my terrace in Sydney, just as I did in my garden in Lux.
This recipe
is a favourite of mine; it’s elegant and delicious enough to serve up at a
dinner party, yet easy enough to do for a simple family meal. For 4 people, it
goes like this…
The Veal
8
veal escalopes
8
slices of prosciutto
8
sage leaves
2
tablespoons olive oil
60g butter
185
ml marsala
Salt
and black pepper.
Place each
veal escalope between 2 sheets of cling film and gently pound with a mallet, or
rolling pin, until even in thickness. Season each lightly with salt and pepper.
Place a
slice of prosciutto on top of each escalope and trim the edges to fit, place a
large sage leaf on top of the prosciutto and pin it all together using a
cocktail stick.
Heat the
oil and half the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Cook the veal in
batches, frying prosciutto-side-up, over a medium-high heat for about 4 minutes
(until the veal is just cooked through). Transfer each escalope to a hot plate
when done, and continue this process until all the escalopes are done.
Drain the
excess oil from the pan and add the marsala
Add the
remaining butter, taste and season if required. When the butter has melted into
the sauce spoon it over the veal and serve with the pumpkin risotto.
The Risotto
600ml chicken stock
500g pumpkin, peeled and diced.
1 cup dry vermouth
2 sticks of celery
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
20 sage leaves
75g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
75g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Preheat the
oven to 200degrees.
Place the
pumpkin on a lined baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbs of olive oil, season with
salt and pepper, and roast for 35 minutes until starting to go crispy and gold
at the edges.
Roughly chop
half the sage leaves.
Put the
stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, turn the heat down and keep the
stock warm on the hob beside your risotto pan.
Melt 2/3 of
the butter in the risotto pan with the remaining olive oil. Add the onion,
celery, garlic and sweat over a medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring
occasionally until the mixture is soft but not browned.
Add the
rice and stir to coat each grain with the buttery mix.
Turn the
heat up and add the vermouth, when this has been almost absorbed, add a ladle
full of stock. Stir the mix until the liquid has been almost absorbed then add
another ladle of the warm stock. Repeat this procedure of adding stock and
stirring.
When you
have only 2 ladles left in your stock pot, add the roasted pumpkin and chopped
sage to the risotto mix, pour in the last of the stock, the grated cheese and
stir the whole mixture gently folding the pumpkin pieces in(the whole stock and
stir process should take 30-40 minutes).
Cover your
pan and set aside.
Heat a
little extra olive oil in a pan, toss in the remaining sage leaves and flash
fry until they turn crispy. This will take just a few moments so be careful not
to burn them.
Stir the
crispy leaves through the risotto and serve immediately with the veal.
