* Risotto with Pumpkin and Rosemary
* Five Bean Salad

Risotto With Pumpkin And Rosemary
Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy

Makes 4 to 6 servings

  6 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  2 cups cubed pumpkin or other squash
  1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
  1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1/2 cup diced onion
  2 cups arborio rice
  1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  Whole small pumpkin, seeded and cleaned out, to be used as a serving 
  bowl (optional)

 1. In a medium saucepan, slowly heat the chicken broth to a simmer.

 2. In a 10- or 12-inch skillet or saucepan, heat the oil. Add the pumpkin,
 garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 of the teaspoon salt and half the pepper. Cook,
 over medium heat, stirring frequently until the pumpkin is tender, about
 10 minutes. Remove the cooked pumpkin from the pan and set aside.

 3. In the same pan, melt half the butter. Add the onion and cook over
 medium heat, for 2 to 4 minutes, until softened. Add the rice, stir to
 coat with the butter, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

 4. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot broth into the rice and stir with a wooden
 spoon, until absorbed. Continue with the rest of the broth, adding 1/2 cup
 at a time and letting each addition be absorbed completely into the rice
 before adding more liquid. The constant stirring ensures that the rice
 will release its starch into the cooking liquid, resulting in the
 characteristic creamy risotto texture. When half the liquid has been used,
 about 10 to 12 minutes, add the pumpkin. Finish adding the remaining
 broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is
 cooked but slightly al dente.

 5. Swirl in the remaining butter and the cheese and season with the
 remaining salt and pepper. Serve the risotto immediately in warm bowls or
 in the hollowed-out pumpkin.

 Copyright 1995 Acorn Associates, Ltd.

 Five Bean Salad
 La Cite, New York, New York

 Makes 12 servings

  1 cup dried (1/2 pound) black beans, soaked overnight, or 1+1/2 cups
 canned black beans
  1 cup dried (1/2 pound) white beans, soaked overnight, or 1+1/2 cups
 canned white beans
  1 cup dried (1/2 pound) red kidney beans, soaked overnight, or 1+1/2 cups
 canned red kidney beans
  2 cups green string beans, washed and ends snapped off
  2 cups yellow string beans, washed and ends snapped off
  6 teaspoons olive oil
  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  Leaves of one branch of fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
  3 small heads of your favorite greens, cleaned and torn into bite-sized
 pieces
  3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 1. Rinse and drain the black, white, and red dried beans. Place each in a
 separate medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook according to
 directions on the packages, until tender. Drain well. (If using canned
 beans, rinse well and drain.)

 2. Blanch the green and yellow string beans in separate pots of boiling
 water for about 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the
 cooking.

 3. In a large bowl, toss together all five beans. Add the olive oil,
 pepper, and thyme. Stir well. Add the tomatoes and toss. Refrigerate for
 at least 1 hour.

 4. Just before serving, arrange the mixed greens on salad plates. Add the
 red wine vinegar to the beans and toss again. Serve the beans on the
 greens.

 Copyright 1995 Acorn Associates, Ltd.