Food & Drink

Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms with Thyme

Recipes from Suzanne James | www.suzannejames.co.uk

A fantastic seasonal recipe combining caramelised squash and chunky mushrooms. Serves 8 with the Sunday Roast

Ingredients

• 1kg (2lb 4oz) pumpkin or squash • 5 tablespoons olive oil • 4 tablespoons balsamic syrup (Filippo Berio is my favourite) • 8 sprigs thyme • 700g (1lb 9oz) chestnut mushrooms

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 2000C/4000F/Gas 6. 2) Cut the pumpkin (peeled if you wish) into wedges, about 3cm (1¼in) thick at the thickest part and remove the seeds. 3) Put the wedges in a roasting-tin in which they can lie in a single layer with space around them. Drizzle on 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the balsamic, season and add two-thirds of the thyme, tearing it with your hands. 4) Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper and slice in half. Put these into another roasting-tin in a single layer and add the rest of the oil, balsamic and thyme. Season. Toss everything around. Make sure there is space around the mushrooms, so they don’t sweat. 5) Roast the pumpkin for about 45 minutes, or until tender and a little caramelised. 6) Roast the mushrooms for about 35 minutes, until dark and roasted and any juices have evaporated. When ready, gently toss them together and serve immediately in a warm dish.

In Season This Month

Fruit & Nuts - Apples, blackberries, chestnuts, elderberries, figs, grapes, pears, quince, tomatoes, walnuts. Lots of lovely mushrooms; chanterelles, chestnuts, horse mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, parasol mushrooms, puffballs, giant shaggy ink caps and summer truffles Vegetables & Herbs - Beetroot, borlotti beans, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, courgettes, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins & squash, rocket, salsify, scorzonera, spinach, turnips Meat & Game - Duck, wild goose, grouse, guinea fowl, hare, mallard, partridge, pheasant, rabbit, venison, wood pigeon Fish & Shellfish - Cod, crab, eels, lobster, mackerel, mussels, oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, brown and rainbow trout Going Out Of Season - Aubergine, beetroot, butternut squash, chicory, cobnut, damsons, elderberries, fennel, fig, globe artichoke, lamb, mackerel, pear, plums, radish, raspberry, rocket, sweetcorn, watercress