Jewelled Pumpkin
“This is one to pull out with the first signs of autumn, just as the leaves start changing colour and the sun starts setting sooner. Feel free to swap out the Crown Prince pumpkin for Kabocha or butternut squash, if you like. Serve as a main with some lightly cooked greens.” – Noor Murad
Serves 4
1 medium Crown Prince pumpkin (1kg), washed, halved, deseeded then cut into 8 wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
25g barberries
2 tsp caster sugar
2 spring onions (scallions), green parts only, halved widthways then julienned (10g)
5g tarragon leaves, to serve
For the sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (220g)
2 fresh bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
8 cardamom pods, roughly bashed open
⅓ teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads
300ml good-quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock if veggie)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper, then add the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper and toss to combine. Arrange the pumpkin wedges so they’re lying on their sides and are nicely spread out, then roast for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and browned in places.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Add the barberries, sugar and 2 tablespoons of hot water to a small heatproof bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to plump up.
Add the spring onions to a small bowl filled with ice-cold water and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the sauce by adding the oil to a medium sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, stir in the onion, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then turn down the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and only lightly coloured (turn down the heat if it’s getting too brown). Stir in the saffron, stock, vinegar and another ¼ teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, until very slightly reduced but still brothy. Keep warm over a low heat.
When ready to serve, pour the sauce onto a large, lipped plate, then arrange the pumpkin on top, overlapping the wedges slightly. Drain the barberries from their liquid and spoon these all over the pumpkin. Drain the spring onions from their water and pile these and the tarragon leaves on top. Serve warm.
This is an edited extract from Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East by Noor Murad. Published by Quadrille. 📷 Matt Russell and Matt Wardle.
