10 Ways to enjoy a Pumpkin

We dedicated a whole menu to the mighty crawler, so why not come around and try it out ...


from the DELI

roasted Butternut Squash stuffed with Quinoa topped with melted Cheddar £8.50
served with tomato-chipotle-salsa and salad


STARTERS

Cape-Malay spiced Pumpkin Samosas £5.50
with cherry tomato-red onion-coriander relish, Mrs. Balls chutney, cucumber raita

Gressingham Duck Breast with Butternut Squash Ravioli £7.50
orange oil chermoula


MAINS

crispy Chile Relleno –
roasted Poblano stuffed with Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Mash £12.00
quinoa salad, tomato-chipotle-salsa

Springbok Haunch Steak £15.00
pumpkin arancini, locally-foraged mushrooms, jus



Squash, Mushroom and Gruyere Gratin £3.50

Roquette Salad with candied Squash, shaved Parmesan and toasted Pumpkin Seeds
£4.25


DESSERTS

Butternut Squash & Ginger Ice Cream £4.50
served in a filo basket, with candied ginger and toffee sauce

classic Pumpkin Pie served with Creme Fraiche £4.50

spiced Butternut Squash Panna Cotta £5.50
with pecan praline and cinnamon sable biscuit

Seasonal Recipes - stuffed baked Butternut Squash

Butternut squashes are wonderfully versatile, not only do they make a great soup (whether it be Italian, Thai, Moroccan or Cape Malay), but they can also be used in desserts (pumpkin pie or ice cream, for example). I, personally, tend to go South American, where squashes originate from. This recipe also uses another great South American ingredient - quinoa http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quinoa&oldid=321295370

Ingredients (this will serve 4)

2 medium butternuts

1 teaspoon whole cumin

1 onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 cup of quinoa

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 bunch spring onions, sliced

a handful of pumpkin seeds, dry toasted in a pan (use a lid as they start popping)

1 cup of cooked and drained black turtle beans (need to be soaked overnight)

1 cup of mild cheddar, grated

1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika for sprinkling

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C, cut the butternut squashes in half and place onto a tray cut side up. Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, place in the oven and roast for 15min, then turn the squashes over and roast for another 30min or until soft.

Whilst the squashes are cooking prepare quinoa. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pot, toast the cumin briefly, then add the onions and soften for about 2min before adding the garlic and cook for another 2-3min (season with salt at this stage). Add quinoa and fry until it starts popping like mustard seeds, then add smoked paprika and 2 cups of water (or stock if you prefer). Be careful when adding the water as it will splatter (do it gradually). Put a lid on the pot and get the water to the boil, then turn the heat down and let simmer for 30min. Whilst the quinoa is cooking, check for seasoning and add salt if necessary. After half an hour check the quinoa, it should have absorbed all the liquid and be cooked with a little bite. Simmer for longer if needed, otherwise, turn the heat off and let stand for 10min. Now add the diced bell pepper, spring onion, toasted pumpkin seeds and beans and fold through carefully (you don't want the quinoa to turn into porridge). Test again for seasoning.

Once the squashes are cooked, scrape the seeds out and fill the cavity with the quinoa salad, then add the grated cheddar on top, sprinkle with smoked paprika and return to the oven for 10min or until cheese is melted and lightly golden.

This will make a great supper dish, just serve with some tomato-chipotle-salsa (I'll keep this recipe for another time) to give a spicy kick and a good helping of salad. Enjoy!

Seasonal Recipes & Ideas - Parsnips

It's that time of the year again, parsnips and other root vegetables are coming in thick and fast, so it is useful to have a few recipes at hand to keep things interesting. We came up with a great Thai style soup recipe. The sweet & spicy kick works wonders with the strong distinctive flavour of the mighty parsnip, the texture is smooth and velvety, just the sort of comfort food one needs at this time of the year. So here it goes ... (this will serve 4 to 6 for a main course)

Ingredients

1 kg parsnips, peeled and diced into inch sized cubes

1 Tblsp. coconut oil

1/2 Tblsp. yellow curry paste

1/2 Tblsp. fresh ginger, chilli & garlic puree (in equal parts), this is called wet masala and is used in all kinds of curries, so you can always make more than you need and freeze the excess

1-3 Tblsp. Nam Pla (fishsauce), to taste

1/2 Teasp. turmeric powder

1 can coconut milk

1 Tblsp. coconut cream

1 Tblsp. sugar

juice of one lime (around 1 Tblsp.)

Method

Cover parsnip chunks with lightly salted water, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Take care not to oversalt as you can use the cooking liquid as the stock for the soup.

In a separate saucepan heat the coconut oil, add the curry paste and wet masala and fry for a few seconds stirring constantly. Take care not to burn the pastes as they will impart a bitter flavour.

Immediately add the parsnips and the cooking liquid along with the fishsauce, turmeric, coconut milk and cream and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add lime juice and blend with stick blender. If required adjust seasoning to taste.

The soup can be eaten simply as it is, but you can make it a bit more substantial by adding marinated crispy tofu on top along with some edamame beans (we get ours from a Sussex grower!). Just cut tofu into 1/2 inch squares and place into marinade for 5 minutes (equal parts of fishsauce, sesame oil & brown rice vinegar). Heat enough coconut oil in a wok to deep-fry the tofu, toss tofu in cornflour and then fry in batches until crispy.

Season for local Tomatoes is nearly finished ...

Yes, it's sad, I know, so make the best of it ... I particularly enjoy the Tiger Vine Tomatoes for their look.

If you like a good steak, may I suggest a tomato & shallot salad as an accompaniment.

Finely dice two shallots, quarter a selection of cherry tomato (2 each of red, yellow,orange & tiger) and toss with a pinch of salt, two turns of pepper, a teaspoon oftomato vinegar (a fantastic product that brings out the tomato flavour even further, but you can use balsamic instead) and two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Set aside to infuse whilst the steak is cooking and resting. Arrange tomato salad on the steak cascading onto the plate, drizzle the vinaigrette left in the bowl over the steak (this should be enough for two).

Alternatively, you could use a fillet of wild seabass (which is running at the moment),or toss through roquette leaves and finish off with toasted pinenuts and shaved parmesan.