Baby pumpkins are abundant during the late autumn and winter months and they make a fantastic, wholesome lunch or accompaniment to meaty dinners. This recipe is vegetarian but if you would like to add some extra protein you could include some bacon or pancetta to the filling. Feel free to play around with the vegetables in the filling, leeks make an excellent addition or try including spices such as chilli for extra heat.
Per person:
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 baby pumpkin, weighing around 400-500g
Handful of washed kale, with the stem removed and finely shredded
2-3 tbsp cooked pearled spelt
2-3 tbsp crème fraiche (or more if you like a creamy mixture)
A small handful of grated Jarlsberg
A few fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Have a small or medium roasting tin ready for placing the pumpkin in.
Start by heating a small spoonful of vegetable oil in a small sauté pan over a low-medium heat and add the chopped shallot. Cook until the shallot is soft and looks translucent, this should take about 3-5 minutes, depending on how finely you chop the shallot.
Once the shallot is cooked, add the chopped garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds-1 minute, you don’t want to burn the garlic, just soften it. Next add the shredded kale and quickly toss this in with the shallot and garlic until it wilts slightly. Add the pearled spelt and the crème fraiche along with the Jarlsberg cheese. Allow the cheese to melt and create a sauce, if it looks too thick either add a little warm water to let the sauce down or add more crème fraiche if you like it extra creamy. Finally taste the mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finally add some shredded sage leaves.
To assemble the dish, carefully slice off the top of the pumpkin, about 3cm from the top and keep the “hat” to cover the pumpkin when roasting.
Scoop out all the pumpkin seeds. You can keep these for roasting later, they just need to be washed clean, allowed to dry and then you can toss the seeds in a spiced salt mixture or a sweet spiced mixture of your choice.
Spoon the Jarlsberg mixture into the hollowed-out pumpkin and press down so it completely fills the cavity. Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top along with salt and pepper and return the lid to the top of the pumpkin. Place it in the roasting tin and roast for around 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how heavy the pumpkin is. If you wish you can add another dose of grated cheese underneath the lid of the pumpkin and place this under a hot grill for a few minutes for an extra dose of cheese flavour!
Eat while warm and what you don’t eat can be made into a hearty winter soup.