Pumpkin

This dish is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, and he’s quickly becoming my go-to chef… Though I still blog meat and fish dishes, I’m increasingly eating vegetables, and you can guarantee his recipes still pack enough punch to make up for that. For some reason, an onion squash has appeared in my kitchen… No doubt one of the children has spotted it somewhere, and convinced that halloween is on the way, coerced Hubby into buying it. Little do they know it’s just become my supper… Well, after all, they can always buy another… Though the recipe calls for a larger squash than mine, it still tastes magnificent.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

700g pumpkin (skin on, or any other squash)
50g Parmesan, grated
20f dried white breadcrumbs (panko in my case)
6 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
2½ tsp finely chopped thyme
grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
60ml olive oil
120g soured cream
1 Tbsp chopped dill
salt and white pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas Mark 5. Cut the pumpkin into 1cm thick slices and lay them flat, cut side down, on a baking sheet that has been lined with greaseproof paper.

To make the crust, mix together in a small bowl the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, half the lemon zest, the garlic, a tiny amount of salt (there is salt in the Parmesan) and a little pepper.

Brush the pumpkin generously with olive oil and sprinkle with the crust mix, making sure the slices are covered with a few millimetres of the coating. Gently pack the mix down a little.

Place the tin in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender: stick a knife in one wedge to make sure it has softened and is cooked through. If the topping starts to darken too much, cover loosely with foil.

Mix the soured cream with the dill and some salt and pepper. Serve the wedges warm, sprinkled with the remaining lemon zest with the soured cream on the side.

Notes:

If you have a combination of herbs you prefer, do feel free to use them. On my counter I had chervil, parsley, dill and thyme, and as I like that aniseed hit, I went with that
It would have been nice to use a larger squash to give a larger surface area, but the onion squash worked perfectly well. It also has the advantage of having a delicious skin when cooked
The smell of the garlic and lemon, as soon as this hits the oven, is ridiculous. It’s worth doing as a side-dish for that alone, your kitchen will smell amazing… For vegetarians, this is enough of a dish to satisfy your taste-buds
We dressed ours with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and some lemon juice

I came across Pure Package in one of the red-tops – the company delivers pre-packaged food on a daily basis for those with specific dietary goals (whether it be weight loss, athletes in training, models etc). I wasn’t particularly interested in the service itself (I enjoy cooking far too much for that), but I was definitely interested in the nutritional aspect. Browsing through their website, I came across the following recipe from their cookbook, which instantly appealed. I love anything which uses squash, and as I had everything in my pantry (for once), there seemed no time like the present!

Ingredients:
1/2 small pumpkin – peeled, deseeded and cut into bite-size pieces
320g broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
160g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
600ml coconut milk
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
250g sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander

Method:

Tip the pumpkin into a non-stick roasting tray and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the groundnut oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a further 1 minute.
Add the curry paste and stir in the mushrooms, coating them in the paste. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice and tamari and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the blanched broccoli, sugar snap peas and roasted pumpkin to the curry and simmer for 5–8 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more lime juice or tamari if needed.
Add the coriander to the curry and stir through just before you are about to serve.

Notes:

The sauce was actually pretty rich, much richer than I anticipated. As a result I had to add another lime before serving… I’ll reduce the initial quantity of peanut butter in future (you can always add some in as you go along)
I added a few prawns to my curry, not for any nutritional reason, but because the 11yo likes them!

Pumpkin and Peanut Curry

There are more recipes in the Pure Package Cookbook >