These warming recipes will continue to make the very most of one of the season’s favourite fruits – the pumpkin.
Halloween may be over for another year, but it’s still very much pumpkin season.
If you have any left over that you didn’t use for the spookiest day of the year (or you just can’t get enough of it!) then these recipes should help you get that final fix of these delicious autumn fruits.
The first, by the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers, is a warming dish combining pumpkin and button mushrooms, bursting with ingredients such as coconut milk, lemongrass and soy sauce.
The second, from Kahani London’s head chef Peter Joseph, uses lamb, which is hot on menus right now and also in season.
Mini roast pumpkins stuffed with mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 400g button mushrooms
- 4 butternut squash or small pumpkins
- 400ml tin of coconut milk
- 1 large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 stick of lemongrass
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice and zest of a lime
- 2 red chillies, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
Method
- Heat the oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Cut the top off the squash/pumpkins and remove – retaining the very top to act as a lid.
- Hollow out the seeds and as much flesh as you can, then discard the seeds.
- Heat a saucepan with the coconut oil and add the mushrooms, squash, shallot and garlic.
- Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until softened.
- Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and most of the coriander and mix well.
- Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and lime and gently stir in.
- Fill each squash/pumpkin with the mixture and top with the lid then roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until they are starting to colour.
- Remove from the oven, top with the remaining coriander and serve.
Spiced minted lamb chops with pickled pumpkin
Serves 3
Ingredients
For the lamb rack:
- 1 lamb rack, 6-bone
- 1 tsp dried mint powder
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp peppercorns, crushed
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tbsp of ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tbsp of lime juice
For the pickled pumpkin:
- 100g of pumpkin, diced
- 4 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
- 4 tbsp of distilled malt pickling vinegar
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp degi mirch powder
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 2 tbsp of oil
- Pinch of salt
Method
- To begin, pickle the pumpkin. Soak the diced pumpkin and pumpkin seeds in malt vinegar overnight.
- When ready to serve, heat the oil in a pan and add the fennel and mustard seeds.
- Once they start to crackle, add the pumpkin and pumpkin seeds and cook, tossing regularly, for a minute or so.
- Add the degi mirch powder, ginger and nigella seeds and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Check the seasoning and remove from the heat.
- To begin the lamb rack, prepare the lamb rack by cutting into individual chops.
- Clean up the bones using a small, sharp knife.
- Mix together all of the marinade ingredients and add to a bowl with the lamb chops, making sure the meat is completely covered and refrigerate for six hours to marinate.
- Grill the lamb under a very hot grill, in a chargrill pan or on a barbecue for one minute on each side
- Sprinkle with the dried mint and serve with the pickled pumpkin and a side of rice.
