Saffron Pumpkin with Dates and Mâche

This savoury saffron pumpkin recipe with dates and mâches show just how versatile this humble root vegetable can be. It's hearty, easy to make, naturally gluten-free and so delicious. I used Hokkaido but any other kinds of pumpkins will do.


600-800 g Hokkaido pumpkin, deseeded and cut into 2cm pieces 2 Tomatoes, chopped 1 Onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced 2 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 100 g Dates, sliced 0.1 g Saffron threads (or powder) 100 ml Lukewarm water 4 tbsp Olive oil Sea salt and black pepper 1 tsp Harissa 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder 150 g Mâche

Use a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all of the fibrous flesh and seeds. Depending on the variety, you might need to peel the pumpkin and cut into 2 cm cubes.
Wash and dry the tomatoes, then finely chop. Peel the onion and garlic. Half the onion and cut into thin strips, finely chop the garlic. Slice the dates lengthways and cut into strips.
Stir the saffron into 100 ml lukewarm water and leave to stand until the water has turned yellow.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the pumpkin with the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add in the saffron water, dates and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, harissa and cinnamon.
Turn the heat down to low, cook the pumpkin, covered, for 10-15 minutes until al dente. Turn the heat off and mix in the mâche.

24 comments:

Tom 10/9/24 12:44: ...looks yummy.
DEZMOND 10/9/24 13:38: Wundabar colours! I actually made risotto with hokkaido today for lunchen. Added a bit of red lentils to make it more hearty.
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 10/9/24 13:44: It looks amazing!
Steph@Stephcreatesthings 10/9/24 14:39: This looks and sounds amazing!
Lola Martínez 10/9/24 14:45: Te gusta como a mi poner algún integrante dulce en comidas saladas, además de la calabaza que me encanta y entramos en temporada. Un plato delicioso.
Brian's Home Blog 10/9/24 15:08: That is so pretty and I'm sure it tastes as great as it looks!
JoAnna 10/9/24 15:13: Very nice, colorful dish!
Granny Sue 10/9/24 15:40: That sounds like an intriguing flavor combination!
speedy70 10/9/24 16:22: Ottima ricetta con la mia amata zucca!!!
Bill 10/9/24 16:33: Looks tasty.
LoveT. 10/9/24 18:00: Wow, that excites me. Great recipe <3
DeniseinVA 10/9/24 20:19: Looks delicious! I have never used saffron before.
Cooking Julia 10/9/24 23:41: This is a nice dish of vegetables, so colorful and seasonal!
roentare 10/9/24 23:46: That looks scrumptious!
citu 11/9/24 03:02: Se ve muy rico . Te mando un beso y gracias por la receta.
My name is Erika. 11/9/24 03:06: This looks like another amazing dish Angie.
Sherry's Pickings 11/9/24 03:41: It's pumpkin everywhere here at the moment as it's Spring already and every cafe is trying to use up the winter pumpkins :) This looks delightful; gotta love saffron.
Anonymous 11/9/24 05:50: I had to look up what mâches was as we don't get anything here called that. Neither do we get lambs lettuce. But I am sure that can be substituted?
Tandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com
Angie's Recipes 11/9/24 06:35: Tandy, use baby spinach! If you can only find regular spinach, then blanch them for 30 seconds, squeeze out the water before adding them to pumpkin. Watercress would be great too.
Margaret D 11/9/24 07:39: Looks wonderful, Angie.
eileeninmd 11/9/24 12:37: Another delicious recipe, yum!
Take care, have a great day!
Raymund | angsarap.net 12/9/24 00:10: This recipe sounds absolutely delightful, and I love how it highlights pumpkin’s versatility with saffron and dates!
Anonymous 12/9/24 00:56: This looks absolutely divine! Come on fall!
Cocoa and Lavender 22/9/24 20:48: This is the first week we have had dates at our farmers market -- I got a bagful to stuff with marzipan but I think I will hold some aside for this salad!