Bacon Roasted Hokkaido with Spinach Apricot Salad
Saturday, November 16, 2024Colourful, flavourful and easy to make, these bacon roasted pumpkin wedges with spinach salad are great as an appetizer, side dish or even a light lunch. Anything wrapped with bacon is superfood if you ask me, and the spinach salad with dried apricot and toasted pine nuts is a star on its own too. This is one ultimate cold weather comfort food you’ll treat yourself to again and again. Use other types of winter squashes (acorn, kent or butternut are all great) if you can't find hokkaido.
Beef Short Ribs with Maple Pumpkin Puree and Pangrattato
Friday, November 08, 2024Tuck into this glorious cut of braised beef ribs, resting atop a mountain of creamy pumpkin pureé and pangrattato. It's truly the ultimate comfort food for winter.
Pangrattato is an Italian condiment used to take your dishes to the next level! They are breadcrumbs which have been seasoned and toasted to bring some crunch and texture to dishes such as pastas, vegetables and other dishes. Traditionally, it's made using stale bread, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. I have used ground pork rind instead to make the recipe lowcarb-friendly.
Tahini Butternut Squash Soup
Tuesday, November 05, 2024When the weather turns and the thermometer dips, a hot bowl of soup is just delightful. Though so creamy and rich, this gluten free butternut squash soup contains no cream (except a few drops of coconut cream for the garnish). The secret lies in the add of tahini. Serve with a slice of homemade bread and top with a few crispy sage leaves, for a hearty bowl of creamy goodness. It’s one of the easiest meals to make with just a handful of ingredients, and it’s almost impossible to mess up.
Roasted Spiral Pumpkin with Rosemary and Pepitas
Monday, October 21, 2024I will always find a way to bake with pumpkin. The autumnal star vegetable is just so versatile and delicious. This vegetable side with butter, pepitas, rosemary, garlic and nutmeg is as tasty as it is beautiful. You can substitute rosemary for the thyme, or use salbei, or any other fresh herb of you like.
Rosemary Pumpkin Fritters with Truffle Balsamic Glaze
Tuesday, October 15, 2024Pumpkin Gratin with Feta Cream and Gruyère
Sunday, October 13, 2024From a culinary point of view, pumpkin season is one of my favourite times of the year. The humble orange-coloured squash can be used in an incredibly varied way in the kitchen. And one of my favourite ways to prepare them is to pair them with different kinds of cheeses.
This cheesy creamy pumpkin gratin with Feta cream and Gruyère is a must for all pumpkin fans! It's incredibly easy to prepare, which is why this dish is ideal for the evening after a stressful day at work. If you can't find Gruyère, Comté, Emmentaler or Fontina is a good substitute. If you're looking for more ideas to enjoy the pumpkin, I've put together a collection for you here.
Pumpkin with Parmesan-Hemp Crust
Friday, October 11, 2024Pumpkin Chips with Pumpkin Curry Ketchup
Sunday, October 06, 2024Ketchup is automatically understood to mean tomato ketchup. The word ‘ketchup’ simply describes a condiment consisting of tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and spices. But if you cannot tolerate nightshade vegetables (tomato, potato, eggplant and bell pepper), you can also make the ketchup without tomatoes. Use more pumpkin instead and add a little more vinegar for acidity if necessary.
An autumnal ketchup with a strong pumpkin flavour. Like tomato ketchup, it can be used in a variety of ways and goes wonderfully with pumpkin chips/fries, burger, onion rings nachos or even grissini and many more.
Pumpkins are generally “wetter” than potatoes, so for the chips or fries, you might want to use starchy varieties like Hokkaido, sweet mama, kabocha or buttercup, to get the better result.
Pumpkin Diane
Sunday, September 29, 2024In the 19th century, sauces made “a la Diane” were dedicated to Diana the Rome goddess and was originally served as an accompaniment to venison, giving it a luxurious and rich flavour. The sauce is mainly made with shallots, Dijon mustard, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and cream. It was originally cooked tableside and sometimes flambéed. Though the sauce is a classic accompaniment to meat dishes, you can certainly use the sauce for vegetables too. This recipe, adapted from Taste, put a vegetarian spin on it with a carnival pumpkin (the skin of a carnival squash is entirely edible), lentils and oyster mushrooms. You can use other wild mushrooms like shiitake, chanterelles or just regular button mushrooms.
Pumpkin Soup with Apple and Ginger
Thursday, September 26, 2024This Hokkaido pumpkin soup is cosy and comforting on a cold night and autumn / winter melancholy is a thing of the past. Adding apples to the soup lends an interesting fruity flavour to the usual pumpkin soup and the slightly spicy chilli note also makes it perfect for warming up on cold days. The soup tastes particularly delicious with butter fried apple slices (deglazed with a little of Calvado if desired) and some homemade bread. Use tart apples like Pink Lady, or Granny Smith or Braeburn for the soup.
Roasted Pumpkin with Figs and Goat Cheese
Saturday, September 21, 2024An easy, beautiful vegetarian main that can be prepared in an hour - it combines fresh ripe figs and a savoury Asian-inspired spring onion and chilli oil for a delicious and moreish lunch or dinner. I used Hokkaido pumpkin as you don't need to peel off the skin, which is packed with beta-carotene. If you use thick skin pumpkins, you will have to peel them first before roasting.
Saffron Pumpkin with Dates and Mâche
Tuesday, September 10, 2024Chestnut and Shallot stuffed Hokkaido Pumpkin
Sunday, September 08, 2024Surprise family and friends with this stuffed pumpkin, it looks impressive and tastes great! You can use other vegetables like mushrooms, eggplants, parsnips or sweet pepper to make the filling. While I use a large Hokkaido pumpkin, you can definitely use mini pumpkins to make the individual serving. It makes a delicious, flavour packed side dish or even a light lunch.