Roasted Pistachio-Stuffed Spiced Pumpkin

Pumpkins aren’t just for making jack-o-lanterns! Rich in fibre, antioxidants and vitamins (A, C and E), there’s a lot you can do with this cheap and versatile ingredient.

Spiced pumpkin soup has always been an autumn staple of ours, but we wanted to discover new ways to enjoy this seasonal treat. That’s why we were excited to find this showstopper recipe from Alan Rosenthal’s Foolproof Veggie One-Pot - and even better, we were able to prepare it all in our tri-ply cookware by SAVEUR Selects.

This hearty dish involves roasting a whole deseeded pumpkin and loading it with a Middle-Eastern-inspired stuffing of rice, nuts and dried fruit. To top it all off, serve it with a creamy feta yoghurt and spicy harissa.

Although it takes a while to achieve a beautifully roasted pumpkin, the whole process is very simple. If you like, toss the washed pumpkin seeds in a little salt, oil, and some garlic granules and roast them at the same time for 10 minutes. They make a great snack or garnish.

If you’re entertaining this autumn, this dish would make a fantastic centerpiece - and we found it looks great served straight in our sauteuse pan. Save this recipe for just after Halloween, when pumpkins are cheap as chips.

Serves 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Equipment:

• An oven-safe pan or roasting pan - we used our SAVEUR Selects Tri-Ply Sauteuse Pan
• A small sharp knife 
• A small bowl for collecting the pith and pumpkin seeds 
• A larger bowl for mixing the stuffing together

For the pumpkin:

• A 1.75-2kg heritage pumpkin 
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 red onion, cut into quarters
• 25g unsalted butter (or use a vegan alternative)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the stuffing:

• 1 x 250g pre-cooked mixed basmati and wild rice pouch (plain brown basmati works well too) 
• 50g roughly chopped unsalted shelled pistachios 
• 40g dried cranberries, currants or sultanas
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cumin 
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• Skin from 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped 

To serve (optional):

• 150g feta cheese
• 150g Greek yogurt
• 3-4 tbsp harissa paste

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Prepare your wide shallow pot or baking dish by crumpling a piece of baking parchment into a ball, unravelling it, and using it to line the dish. This makes washing up much easier.

2. Carefully cut out the pumpkin lid using a small, sharp, pointy knife. The skin can be quite tough, so start by penetrating the surface a few times in a circular outline, then connecting the lines up until you can remove the lid. Using a spoon or your hands, scrape away all the pith and pumpkin seeds into your small bowl, saving them for later if you wish to roast them.

3. Once hollowed out, place your pumpkin in your pot with the pumpkin lid skin-side up next to it. Rub the inside and outside of the pumpkin and the lid with olive oil, seasoning well with salt and black pepper. Rub the quartered onion with olive oil and salt and add to the pot as well.

4. Bake for 45 minutes.

5. When the onion is a little charred on the outside, carefully remove it from the pan. Allow the pumpkin to continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until almost tender when pierced with the point of a knife. This might take longer if you’ve gone for a larger pumpkin.

6. While the pumpkin continues roasting, make the stuffing. Roughly chop the roast onion and add to your large bowl. Add all the other stuffing ingredients. Season with ¼ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp sea salt. Mix everything together until evenly distributed.

7. Once the pumpkin is ready, remove it from the oven and fill it with the stuffing. Dot the butter (or vegan alternative) on top and pop the lid of the pumpkin on, leaving a little gap for steam to escape. Continue roasting for another 45 minutes.

8. If making the feta yoghurt, add the feta and yoghurt to a bowl. Using a masher or a fork, squash and mix them together until you get a relatively smooth consistency.

9. Slice the stuffed pumpkin into wedges, serving with the feta yoghurt on the side. Drizzle over some harissa, if you like.

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