July 22 2018News

Spiced Roast Pumpkin with Tahini Drizzle

Spiced Roast Pumpkin can be a fantastic accompaniment to any winter meal and a delicious and easy way to jazz up the classic, ‘protein and 3 veg’, mid week dinner. Often in winter, we can find ourselves in a rut with cooking meals. Finding it hard to balance out our fruit and vegetable intake with our winter cravings and comfort food.

Which is why a simple roast vegetable can be the perfect solution to ensuring you can get some wholesome vegetables into your diet but also have some warm comforting food to fill your belly. And, nothing says winter comfort more,  like the warm gooey insides of roast pumpkin.

If you prefer more simple flavours, roasting pumpkin with some olive oil, salt and pepper will achieve a great result. However if you love experimenting with flavours, adding some turmeric, nutmeg and sweet paprika will elevate the sweet flavour of the pumpkin and leave a fantastic aroma wafting throughout your kitchen.

Give this recipe a go, pair it with your favourite choice of protein or even with some great winter grains such as freekah, pearl cous cous or brown rice.

 

Ingredients

1 quarter piece of Jap Pumpkin

A Teaspoon of tumeric

1 Teaspoon of sweet paprika

Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons of tahini

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Method

Firstly, preheat the oven to 200 Degrees celcius.

Next, prep the pumpkin by scooping out the centre and removing the seeds. Then, leaving the skin on, cut the pumpkin into 1cm thick moon shaped pieces.

Lay the pumpkin flat on an oven proof tray and drizzle olive oil over each piece. Before putting it into the oven, gently sprinkle the spices over each wedge, taking care to spread the spices as evenly as possible. Lightly add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until each piece has turned golden in colour and softened. To make sure it is cooked, prick the flesh and the skin with a fork to ensure it has cooked thoroughly and softened enough to eat. Allow to cool slightly.

Lastly, prepare the tahini dressing by mixing 2 teaspoons of tahini with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly over the pumpkin before serving.

Optional extras can also include flaked almonds or pepita seeds for extra crunch and even feel free to crumble your favourite cheese over the top. Our picks are crumbled feta or a good quality goats cheese as the salty flavour pairs perfectly with the sweet pumpkin.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish.

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