VEGETARIAN RECIPE

Smashing Pumpkin

This is one of my “wow” Fall recipes! Standing around a hot fire on a chilly day is comforting, and this recipe is so rewarding. Once you’ve roasted your pumpkins in the coals, you get to smash them with a shovel. This will really make this dish stand out on the table, and all your friends will either be impressed or intimidated. 

Ingredients

1 (6 ¾ pound/3 kg) pumpkin

(I used lumina, but any good cooking pumpkin is fine)

⅓ cup (100 g) tahini

7 tablespoons (100 ml)

grapeseed oil

juice of 1 lemon

handful of crushed pecans salt and freshly ground black pepper

any of your favorite fresh herbs

Equipment:
Fire pit or oven

- Feeds 5 -

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Light your fire and let it burn down until you obtain a medium heat.

2. Place the whole pumpkin in the coals, cover with coals and cook for about 3 hours (it should take about 30 minutes for each pound of pumpkin). Turn it around with a shovel as needed.

3. While the pumpkin is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, grapeseed oil and lemon juice. (If you are making this at home, you could also whizz this together in a blender.) Set aside.

4. When the pumpkin is cooked, smash it with your shovel over a log or a board to reveal the bright orange flesh beneath the char. Dress with the tahini dressing and sprinkle with crushed pecans, then season to taste with salt, pepper and sprinkle with your favorite herbs. You can also add some crumbed goat cheese if you like. Of course you can cut the pumpkin with a knife, but this is not nearly as theatrical.

Note: You can also cook the pumpkin in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400º F (200º C). Score the pumpkin with a knife to let any trapped air out while it is cooking. Place the whole pumpkin in the oven and cook for about 3 hours (depending on its size).