Parmesan, Oregano and Onion Baked Pumpkin
Roasting pumpkins whole is a great way to use the entire vegetable, and it gives you a little time to do other things while dinner is cooking. I have used freekah in this recipe, as it provides a lovely nuttiness and texture to the finished dish, but you can substitute brown rice or barley for a similar outcome.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 100g freekeh
- 60g butter
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- ½ nutmeg, finely grated
- 100g kale, tough stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ bunch of oregano, leaves picked
- 100g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 delica pumpkin, or kabocha squash, top removed and seeds scooped out
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
Cook the freekeh according to the packet instructions. Drain well.
Melt 45g of the butter in a large frying pan over mediumhigh heat, add the onions and nutmeg, season well with salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes until golden, stirring frequently. Add the kale and cook for a further 3–4 minutes, until soft.
Put the onion mixture in a bowl and add the cooked freekeh, breadcrumbs, oregano and Parmesan. Season well with salt and pepper and stuff inside the pumpkin, replacing the ‘top’. Place in a roasting tray. Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the outside of the pumpkin, again seasoning it well with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the pumpkin is cooked through.
Remove from the oven, quarter the pumpkin and serve.
This recipe can be found in Marcus Everyday, by Marcus Wareing. Explore Marcus' full range of cookbooks, or purchase a signed copy.
