These are two pumpkin recipes that I have made a number of times - roast pumpkin soup and pumpkin, sage and fetta fritatta.
Roast Pumpkin Soup Recipe
This serves 6 hearty serves, and you will need:
4 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled
1.5kg peeled, deseeded pumpkin
3 teaspoons (15ml) oil
1 large (about 160g) onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock*
Cream, for serving
Ground nutmeg, for serving
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees fan-forced).
Chop pumpkin into pieces about the same size, and place pumpkin and unpeeled garlic cloves in a large plastic sandwich bag or the like with a little bit of oil. Seal the top of the bag and shake it to cover the pumpkin and garlic with oil. Then place the pumpkin and garlic onto baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the garlic so that it doesn't overcook. Don't throw the garlic away. Continue baking pumpkin until tender and cooked through. Keep an eye on the pumpkin to ensure it doesn't burn. A little bit of burn on the edges is great, as that definitely adds to the flavour.
Heat a large saucepan with a little bit of oil over medium heat. Add onion, nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook and stir almost contiuously for one minute.
Add the roasted pumpkin and stock to the onion mix and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until onion is soft and stock has reduced. The more the stock reduces, the thicker the soup will be.
Peel the roasted garlic and add to the saucepan. The soup is now cooked. Allow to cool a little before you puree it. This also allows the garlic to permeate into the hot soup a bit more.
Serve the soup hot. Top with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg and crusty bread.
Pumpkin, sage and fetta fritatta
This is great with a salad and the leftovers can be frozen as lunch packs.
You will need:
900g-piece jap pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, thinly sliced crossways
olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs, lightly whisked
200g feta, crumbled
40g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan
bunch sage, leaves coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the base and side of a 20cm springform pan or a large pie dish with baking paper. Using a springform pan just makes it easier to get out for table presentation. I usually just use a large pie dish.
As the pumpkin has been sliced thinly, don't use the sandwhich bag idea to coat them in oil. Simply place the pumpkin them on a tray and lightly drizzle them with oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Don't let it burn in anyway.
Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, gently combine the egg, feta, parmesan and sage in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Don't forget to whisk the eggs before combining with everything else, as you won't be able to beat them up with the fetta.
Pour a thin layer of the egg mix into the springform pan, then add a few pumpkin pieces, then add another layer of egg mix, then more pumpkin pieces and so worth until all the mixture as been used. Smooth the surface and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature (frittata will firm on standing). Slice into wedges to serve.
