Step-by-Step Instructions

A good risotto is all about the prep work. Once the risotto starts to cook, we spend a lot of time stirring, so we want to make sure each ingredient is ready to go. Although I list this pumpkin ale risotto as vegetarian, you can add bacon if you're inclined. Honestly, it's delicious with or without bacon, so the choice is yours. If you use bacon, I prefer to bake it rather than cooking in a skillet for this recipe. Simply pop the bacon into a 400-degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the bacon and continue baking until the bacon reaches your preferred crispness.

While the bacon bakes, let's go ahead and prep our other ingredients. Start by bringing chicken stock to a low simmer. We want to add warm liquid to our risotto, so bringing the chicken stock to a simmer is an important step to getting even cooking. As the chicken stock simmers, chop some onion and garlic and measure the arborio rice, pumpkin beer, pumpkin puree, butter, spices, sage and shredded Gruyere.

By now, the bacon should be ready, and we can start on the risotto. Melt plenty of butter in a medium-size pot and cook the onion to soften. Add a little garlic with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and briefly cook. We then pour in the arborio rice to toast and deglaze the pot with the pumpkin beer after a few minutes.

Once the pumpkin beer nearly cooks off, get ready to become a stirring machine. Ladle in a scoop of chicken stock and stir until the rice absorbs all the stock. While we don't have to stir every second the risotto cooks, we want to stir most of the time. After the rice absorbs the stock, add another ladle and repeat until the rice is tender. This takes some time, but I find it's a relaxing process.

When the risotto is tender to your liking, stir in the pumpkin puree, Gruyere, butter, fresh sage and bacon if using. Give it a taste and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. I always like to do this after stirring in the butter and cheese to ensure you don't add too much salt.

And that's it. We're now ready to dig into a creamy, comforting bowl of Gruyere-pumpkin ale risotto.

Perfect Pairing

Do I even have to say it? You should obviously crack open another pumpkin beer to go along with this delicious risotto. That said, this pumpkin ale risotto is also lovely with a Belgian-style dubbel. The spicy yeast complements the cinnamon and nutmeg in the risotto, and the dark malt tends to show off a brown sugar quality that pairs well with pumpkin.

If you're in the mood for wine, an Alsatian pinot gris is just right. Alsatian pinot gris is known for its stone fruit notes with mulling spices, so the two were made for each other.

If you're looking for a comforting fall meal or even a new Thanksgiving side dish, I hope you try this Gruyere-pumpkin ale risotto.

Cheers!