Roast pumpkin with goat cheese and roast chicken risotto. Two ways of looking at the glass

Glass half empty or glass half full.

My parents are both glass half full people and gave me, day after day, year after year, an example of hard work and an all-consuming love for our family- even when they were divorced- that I still have today. 

When we were little and spent summer with my dad in Punta Umbria (a beautiful beach in the South of Spain) he allowed my sister Pato and I to go out until 2am. There was one single condition -you will wake up at the same time as always, 7am- he reminded us as while we were heading off to the door. 

The next morning my dad came into our room, opened the curtains and started to sing a happy song : "que alegria, que alegria, ha nacido un nuevo dia" (what a joy, what a joy, a new day has begun). The sun andaluz was risen high and promising a hot day. We tried to open an eye but the light was too annoying.

Five minutes later my sister and I were in the kitchen helping him to clean the fresh fish he just bought at the fish market. He knew we were on an empty tummy with hangovers but he also knew that that "punishment" wouldn't stop us from going out in the evenings during the summer in Punta Umbria.

Gosh, I miss those summer days and I miss my dad. It hurts when I think about him. His presence immediately made people cheerful, happy, laugh and gave them a boost of good energy. He was an optimist and his enthusiasm for living was contagious, even when he was diagnosed with cancer.

It is true that sometimes life is not always pink colour- we all have problems, small or big- and in those moments  you find yourself in the dilemma of which attitude to choose. Like my parents set an example for me, I like to think in positive rather than in negative. My husband Nick as well. I hope we are already setting an example to our children and the positive energy continues from generation to generation.

So much of who I am today is tied to who my parents were, the choices they made, the way they worked, and how they lived their lives. They had no real luxuries and there were a very few things they could call their own. 

So I owe to them to look at the glass half full even when in sad situations there is not much water left.

This past week I had a couple of disasters in the kitchen. My Spanakopita (spinach and feta filo pastry pie) wasn't very tasty but I learnt which frozen spinach not to buy and not to exceed the quantity suggested in the recipe (I added too much so the feta cheese didn't make any impact on the flavour). I also made a healthy banana cake but I was in a hurry and pre-heated the oven too far in advance so the cake was burnt outside and a bit raw inside.

Mistakes well learnt. However...

I made up this risotto with three left overs: roasted pumpkin from a Morocan pumpkin soup I made the day before (I just kept a few pieces); some goat cheese left when I made the beetroot dip; and some chicken meat from our monthly tacos night of last Friday.

All together, stirred with a fine risotto rice and a few toasted pine nuts to garnish made a happy meal. 

Good food shared with your family is what makes the glass half full, at least for me.

Risotto of roast pumpkin with goat cheese (and roast chicken)

Serves 4-6 people

In a heavy pot melt a tablespoon of butter and add a chopped brown onion (or a celery stick as well if you have). When is soft, add 2 cups of risotto rice. Stir the rice until it is translucent and pour a cup of dry white wine- increase the heat now so the alcohol evaporates-. 

After 2 minutes or so, add one cup of hot chicken stock (homemade if possible). Keep stirring until the rice absorbs all the stock. Add 1 cup of roasted pumpkin cubes and continue with the step before of adding stock and stirring. You will need for this recipe about 5 cups of hot stock. I season the rice every time a cup is added. 

When you get to the 4th cup, check whether the rice is al dente, no soft or hard, but it maintains the shape. Does it need another cup of stock? more salt? If not, add some roasted chicken if you have, sprinkle goat cheese, grate fresh parmesan cheese and a bit of butter to create that glossy look (and the lovely flavour that only the butter can add to the food).

Have a glass half full of wine…and enjoy!

Buen provecho