First remove the rosemary leaves from the stem and heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Add the rosemary when the oil is hot (around 330°F) being careful not to burn yourself. The rosemary will spatter and bubble for several seconds. Once the spattering is done (approximately 5-10 seconds) remove the rosemary to a paper towel to drain excess oil. It should still have a green color to it, but be brittle and less bitter than fresh rosemary. Set aside for use at the end of the dish.

In a saucepan, warm the stock over medium-low heat. While the stock is warming, start the risotto.

In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium to medium-low heat and, when melted, add the shallots. Cook gently without browning the shallots until they are translucent. It will take just a minute. Add the remaining butter until it melts.

Stir in the rice, making sure it is coated in the butter and turn the heat to medium. Stirring often, let the rice absorb the butter. This will take about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir. Make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the wine is absorbed, add a ladle or two of stock (about ½ cup total) and stir. As the rice absorbs the stock and starts to stick to the pan, add more stock in the same increments and continue to stir. Once you’ve added the stock the second time and it has absorbed, add half of the pumpkin puree, the pepper, and nutmeg, and stir well.

Continue adding stock in ½ cup increments until the rice is almost finished (about 20 minutes), then stir in the rest of the pumpkin puree and salt. Taste the rice for doneness – it should be firm but not hard – like al dente pasta. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add water to the stock pot to warm it and use that until the rice is cooked.

Once the rice is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Serve with crispy rosemary leaves on top.