Vegetables

Pumpkin Curry

1kg diced butternut pumpkin

3 finely diced brown onions

3 finely chopped tomatoes - no seeds OR 300ml bottle passata

1 Tblsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp (heaped) turmeric

4 Tblsp ghee or rice bran oil

400ml coconut cream

200-400ml water salt to taste coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Heat ghee or oil over low heat and cook mustard seeds (lid on is a good idea!) until they burst.

Add chopped onion and fry until tender.

Add chopped tomato and turmeric, cook briefly (approx 2 mins).

Put in the diced pumpkin, salt and enough water to just cover. Stir well to coat the pumpkin.

Add coconut cream.

Cover and cook until pumpkin is soft - this depends on how small or large you dice.

Garnish with chopped coriander.

This is ideal as an accompaniment to a very hot curry and kids (mine anyway) love it.

Pumpkin Parmesan Pancetta and Penne Bake

(Maggie Beer - The Cook and The Chef)

1 Butternut or Jap Pumpkin olive oil sprigs of fresh rosemary salt & pepper

Bechamel:

4 Tblsp butter

2-3 Tblsp plain flour milk - enough to form a sauce of your liking/consistency

1 cup grated Parmesan pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 box/bag of penne (or macaroni or shells, whichever pasta you preferI found mini penne which I used)

200g cubed pancetta, cut into lardons (thick strips about 2cm long)

2 cloves garlic, finely diced/crushed

1 Spanish/red onion, finely diced

1 eschallot, finely sliced 100-200g fetta

Method

Cube a butternut or jap pumpkin into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil & fresh rosemary & bake in a hot oven, 200˚C, until tender. Time will be determined by how large your cubes are. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn - although a little browning is good!

Make a bechamel sauce:

Melt butter then add plain flour to make a roux & cook for 2-3 minutes to cook off the flour.

Add milk a little at a time to create a creamy sauce, beating constantly.

When sauce is desired consistency, add grated Parmesan & a little nutmeg.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil & cook penne until slightly underdone. (It will continue cooking in the sauce in the oven)

In a frypan pan, gently sauté lardons of pancetta until crisp & browned, add garlic, onion & eschallot, finely diced & cook until transparent.

Drain pasta & put in a large mixing bowl or back into your pasta cooker - providing it is large enough to take the pasta, pumpkin, bechamel etc.

Add roasted pumpkin & rosemary.

Gently mix through the pancetta/onion/garlic.

Lastly blend through the bechamel being careful not to be too rough & break up the pumpkin.

Spoon into a greased baking dish and scatter 1 cup grated extra matured cheese on top then dot with small chunks of Persian fetta.

Bake for around 20-30 minutes @ 185˚C or until browned & crispy on top.