This is a beautiful, simple and very tasty way to cook pumpkin for a small group or to a family. It saves time cutting and presents really nicely and creates a great sharing atmosphere while everyone has to scoop into the golden, caramelise wheel in the middle of the table.
It is perfect served with the cauliflower cashew sauce and a fresh, vibrant salad with a basil or herb pesto (see our other recipes for ideas.
FOR THE MOROCCAN SPICED PUMPKIN:
Ingredients:
- 1 x organic/biodynamic Japanese pumpkin (cut in half lengthways with seeds removed & skin left on).
- 1/4 cup x extra virgin coconut oil.
- 1 Tb x whole fennel seeds.
- 1 Tb x whole cumin seeds.
- 1 tsp x black pepper (freshly cracked).
- Sea salt to season.
How to make:
1. Slice the pumpkin from one edge to the other about 2 cm deep running through the centre (resembling spokes on a wheel) & place it skin down on a baking tray.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius on fan force.
3. Warm the spices and oil in a pot on medium heat for roughly 3-5 minute or until you can smell the spices aroma.
4. Pour the aromatic oil and spices over the pumpkin evenly and season well with sea salt.
5. Bake in the oven until golden brown on top and soft all the way through. This could take anywhere from 30-50 minutes depending on the strength of your oven and size of the pumpkin. If the top of the pumpkin is coloured nicely but is still firm and not cooked all the way through, turn your oven down to about half the temperature and bake until soft.
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER/CASHEW SAUCE:
Rich, creamy and savoury! This cauliflower & cashew sauce has a very nourishing flavour and mouthfeel that compliments almost any vegetarian meal. I have found it to be a great replacement for dairy sauces like bechamel. You can’t help but feel loved and completely satiated after enjoying this sauce with some nicely roasted vegetables and a fresh salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup x cauliflower (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 leek (roughly chopped)
- 2 x bay leaf
- 1 x garlic clove
- 1 cup x raw cashews
- 1/4 cup x nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/8 cup x extra virgin olive oil
- Spring or filtered water (enough to make the ingredients float in a pot)
- Sea salt and white pepper to season
How to make:
1. Add your cauliflower, cashews, bay leaves, garlic and water to pot with a lid on it and bring to the boil. Once it’s boiling, turn down to a very low simmer for about 20 minutes.
2. Turn off and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaves, mix the rest of the ingredients in and blend together until completely smooth and there are no lumps at all.
4. Add the salt and white pepper tasting until you have found your preferred level of seasoning. (You’re not wanting it to taste salty, but you are looking for the increased flavour of the ingredients as you season. Stop once you have found a nice, full-bodied flavour that sings to your senses)
Serve with the spice roast pumpkin or other roast vegetables.
You can also store this in the fridge for 2 days and use as a bechamel substitute for a lasagna or pasta bake
Enjoy!!
About The Chef:
Simon Favorito comes from a lineage of wholefood chefs & has spent over half his life helping people to discover the magic of wholefood medicine through the culinary arts as a chef, a natural health practitioner, coach & teacher.
Simon offers conscious event catering, educational courses and personalized coaching that combine natural health principles, wholistic nutritional, modern psychology, traditional & contemporary food philosophy to help individuals create their own life changing food culture.
For information on Wholefoods medicine, recipes, workshops and courses, be sure to visit Simons Facebook page: Your Conscious Kitchen. or his Instagram Page
You can find Si cooking at Billabong Retreat every other weekend and most Thursdays and Fridays.