Alan’s Roasted Pistachio Stuffed Spiced Pumpkin – Pumkpin season is here, making it the perfect time to snatch up cheap or tasty organic pumpkins pretty much anywhere.
It is a popular time for people to engage in activities like pumpkin picking, carving pumpkins for Halloween decorations, making pumpkin pies and other pumpkin-based recipes, and enjoying the flavours and scents of pumpkin spice.
Typically, around this time of the year my ‘go-to’ is a spiced pumpkin soup. Soups are a popular and comforting choice to have in autumn, helping to take the chill out of the air and warm you up from the inside.
This time I explored something a little more adventurous from Alan Rosenthal’s Foolproof Veggie One-pot book. Simple, but delicious it will have me going back for more of pumpkins.
Cooked and served in the SAVEUR Select tri-ply sauteuse pan available on Kitchen Square this recipe makes a great centrepiece, especially for those entertaining over the next few weeks. It may take a while roasting the pumpkin but when ready you will see the orange pumpkin flesh softened in the oven.
The recipe only needs 20 mins of prep time including, stuffing prep while the pumpkin is roasting.
Total cook time 1 hour 45 mins.
Tip: If you have enough shelves in your oven, try roasting the seeds for a healthy snack or garnish.
The ingredients (Serves 4):
1 x 1.75–2kg heritage pumpkin
Olive oil, for drizzling
1 red onion, cut into quarters.
25g unsalted butter (or use a vegan alternative)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the stuffing:
1 x 250g precooked mixed basmati and wild rice pouch (plain brown basmati works well to)
50g roughly chopped unsalted shelled pistachios.
40g cranberries, currants, or sultanas (golden currants)
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
4 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley.
Skin from 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped.
To serve:
150g feta cheese
150g Greek yogurt
3–4 tbsp harissa paste (optional)
Method
Crumple a roughly 35cm (14in) square piece of non-stick baking parchment into a ball, then open it out and use it to line your wide shallow pot.
Using a small knife, carefully cut a lid out from your pumpkin. Use the point of the knife to penetrate the surface of the flesh and go around a few times until you have penetrated through to the cavity and the lid can be removed.
Using a spoon or your hands, scrape away all the pith and pumpkin seeds. Discard the seeds or roast them separately for a tasty snack. Place the hollowed-out pumpkin in your pot, with the pumpkin lid, skin-side up, to one side. Rub both the inside and outside of the pumpkin and its lid with olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Rub the onion with olive oil and a little salt and add to the pot.
Bake for 45 minutes until the onion is a little charred on the outside.
Remove the onion from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Bake the pumpkin for another 10–15 minutes until almost tender when pierced with the point of a knife. Meanwhile, make the stuffing.
In a large bowl, mix together all the stuffing ingredients. Season with ¼ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp sea salt. Roughly chop the roast onion and stir this into the stuffing mixture. Once the pumpkin is ready, remove from the oven and fill with the stuffing. Dot the butter on top and pop the lid on gently so that steam can still escape.
Roast for another 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, use a fork to blend the feta and yogurt together in a bowl. Slice the stuffed pumpkin into wedges and serve with the yogurt and feta mix on the side, along with some harissa, if you like.
Enjoy!
Autumn is a season with an abundance of fresh seasonal ingredients, and many of these can be used to make delicious soups. Ingredients like butternut squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots, and various greens are readily available and perfect for creating flavourful soups.
Soups are versatile and can be made in countless ways. You can choose from hearty options like chili, creamy bisques, clear broths, or chunky vegetable soups, making it easy to cater to your taste preferences and let’s not forget the spices and herbs used in autumn soups, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, and rosemary, create wonderful aromas and flavours that are reminiscent of the season.
Make the most of the season’s harvest and take advantage of the offer below.
Our friends at the Kitchen Square are offering a 20% discount for all SAVEUR Selects cookware & bakeware. Use the discount code WT20 when checking out.
Poppy Watt