Stuffed pumpkin.
Cook time: 3.5 hours | Prep time: 30 mins | Serves: Each pumpkin half will serve 6
Ingredients.
1 butternut pumpkin
1 cup of brown rice
100ml olive oil, a little extra to drizzle before serving
1 brown onion, chopped into wedges
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup currants
50ml white wine vinegar
1/2 cup toasted blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped oregano and parsley combined. Keep some tips of the oregano for garnish
1/3 cup of pepitas, keep a few pepita's for the garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Nasturtium for garnish
Dressing
2 tablespoons of goats chevre cheese
3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Method.
1. Wrap the whole pumpkin up in baking paper and then foil so no air escapes. Cook on 150°C fan forced (300°F) for 3-3.5 hours depending on how large the butternut pumpkin is.
2. The pumpkin will be soft to touch from the outside of the foil. This can be cooked the day before with a 30-minute reheat at 160C before you finish off the dish.
3. Cook the brown rice for 30 minutes while the pumpkin is reheating. Put onion wedges into a small baking dish with 100 ml of olive oil, salt, and pepper and dried oregano. Cook at 150°C for 40 minutes.
4. Soak the currants in vinegar for 10 minutes. Whisk together the goat's chevre, natural yoghurt and maple syrup together and set aside.
5. In a large bowl add the warm rice, onions with the oil it was cooked in, currants and vinegar, toasted almonds, chopped herbs and pepitas. Add salt and pepper and combine. Leave some pepitas and herbs aside to garnish before serving this dish.
6. Once the pumpkin is heated through, unravel and cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. With a spoon gently scoop out bits of pumpkin and place them back in the pumpkin. This will be easier for guests to scoop out.
7. Make a little well in the centre for the rice mixture to sit in and use half the mixture for each pumpkin half.
8. Place the pumpkin on your serving platter, spoon in the rice mixture and then dollop the goat’s chevre and yoghurt mixture on top. Drizzle some olive oil, the saved herbs and pepitas, salt and pepper then serve.
Cooking Notes: If you only want one side filled, halve the rice mixture portion of the recipe. Though the rice mixture is delicious on its own. You can get a few different meals out of this recipe if two stuffed pumpkins are not required.
