Pumpkin Pleasures

We don’t “do” Halloween in this house- but I did pick up a small ‘eating’ pumpkin on the market for just 90p.

I cut it in half, and sliced a small amount off the top and bottom so the two ‘bowls’ would stand securely. Preheated oven - 200°C

I scooped out the flesh and seeds, and with the edge of a spoon, hollowed out the two bowls as neatly as I could. then I separated the flesh and the seeds into two bowls.

I brushed the bowls with a little olive oil and put them in the oven upside down on a baking sheet. Then I foraged in the fridge. I assembled one red pepper, two carrots, a small red onion, two cloves of garlic. I chopped all these up, along with the pumpkin flesh and cooked them for 5 minutes in a little olive oil. Then they went into a dish in the oven beside the ‘bowls’.

I cooked half a cup of rice with a cup of water and a teaspoonful of turmeric [to make it a lovely golden colour] Meanwhile I rinsed the seeds and spread them onto a second baking sheet.  In another bowl I assembled 2 tsp chopped rosemary, and 2 tsp chopped thyme, plus 5 dried apricots [chopped] and a tbsp sultanas. I stirred all this into the rice as it cooked.

I spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven for 10mins. They’re now cooled and in a jar for use in other recipes. I can’t waste them!

The pumpkin bowls cooked for about 35 minutes, and the filling was in the oven for about 25 minutes. Just before serving, I took the filing and mixed it with the rice. I served it in the pumpkin bowls, drizzled with a little olive oil and garnished with a sprig of rosemary.

This simple vegetarian dish was really tasty and looked beautifully golden and autumnal. Not bad for 90p and some fridge foraging!