winter roasted pumpkin

My winter garden looks quite neglected at the moment. Soon, I will spend the day there planting broad beans, sweet peas, more cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower and preparing the soil for spring. I also aim to turn over the compost and dig in the horse manure I just purchased, then cover the soil with cardboard and newspapers, ready for planting in a month or two.

I still have a pumpkin or two from last year’s harvest. They were quite small but bright and tasty.

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We seem to be having this a few times a week as an accompaniment to any meal I make. Last night, it was this dal with a bean and broccoli palya, or my favourite, this mung bean dish with roasted tomatoes added to the pumpkin. It is also lovely with a salad of kale or spinach. The golden colour is right up there with the freshly picked, squeezed orange juice we have had most mornings.

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WINTER ROASTED KABOCHA PUMPKIN

serves 4 as a side dish

The kabocha pumpkin is much sweeter than other pumpkins, and its texture is smooth and creamy—very much like a cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. It’s packed with fibre, beta-carotene, iron, Vitamin C, and B vitamins.

When roasted, the outer skin becomes soft and sweet, so no peeling is necessary. It is packed with great nourishment.

ingredients 

1 whole/2 small kabocha pumpkin (or any pumpkin will work fine)

1 Tbsp ghee, melted

1 tsp coarse rock salt

freshly ground black pepper

red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

preparation 

  1. Heat the oven to 400F/200C.
  2. Scrub the pumpkin, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Take one of the halves, lay down on its flat side, and cut the kabocha into 1-inch slices.
  3. In a large bowl, gently toss the pumpkin with melted ghee, salt, a couple of freshly ground black pepper grinds, a good pinch of red pepper flakes, and the thyme.  Mix everything with your hands.
  4. Arrange the squash on a baking sheet, and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife and charred along the edges.

roasted winter pumpkin

Goodness shared by Stacey