Ham and Pumpkin Pirlau

This recipe serves:  4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced pie pumpkin or butternut squash
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 bay leaf
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 medium ripe pears or apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 thyme sprigs, leaves removed
6 very thin slices country ham or prosciutto, cut into julienne strips
1. In a large sauté pan or a Dutch oven, melt one tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat.

2. Add the pumpkin, carrots, onion, leek, sweet potato, and bay leaf and sauté for two minutes, or until the onion and leek just begin to soften. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

3. Add the rice and stir for one minute to coat. Add two cups of the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 16 minutes more, or until the rice is tender and the broth has been absorbed.

4. Meanwhile, bring the remaining one cup broth to a boil in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to half cup. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

5. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl (discard the bay leaf) and stir in the remaining one tablespoon butter, the pears, and reduced broth. Season with thyme and then stir in the ham.

Serving Size: 1 cup

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