Pumpkins are undoubtedly one of many vegetable highlights of autumn. I began rising them at dwelling final 12 months, and infrequently introduced them into work for the kitchen group to experiment with. There’s normally a sigh at any time when I interrupt morning prep on this manner, but it surely typically turns into one in all pleasure, as a result of the possibility to work with an ingredient that’s actually seasonal invariably will get the inventive juices going. There’s a big selection of pumpkin varieties on the market, all with slight flavour variations which are dropped at life by roasting or charring (when pumpkin isn’t obtainable, squash will fortunately act as an alternative). These two dishes showcase the flexibility of this underrated vegetable, and supply an perception into how we get probably the most out of them in a restaurant kitchen.
Lime pickle pumpkin curry with spiced hispi (pictured high)
Lime pickle provides pumpkin a turbo enhance of flavour. Right here it’s served with hispi cabbage, however that might simply be switched to a fillet of fish, pork loin and even lamb cutlets, all roasted with the identical butter. Any extra curry could be frozen to make use of at a later date.
Prep 15 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 30 min
Serves 4
1kg pumpkin, reduce in half, pulp and seeds eliminated and discarded
Further-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper
1 small white onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp madras curry powder
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 inexperienced chilli, finely sliced
2 tbsp lime pickle – Geeta’s for desire
330ml tinned coconut milk
For the cabbage
100g softened salted butter
½-1 tsp garam masala, to style
25g coriander, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lime
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 hispi cabbage, reduce into quarters lengthways
Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6. Reduce the pumpkin halves, pores and skin and all, into manageable chunks, then lay them pores and skin facet down on a greased oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle over the smoked paprika, and season calmly with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for about half an hour (the precise cooking time will depend upon the variability and thickness of the pumpkin), till the pumpkin flesh is cooked via and turns golden. Take the tray out of the oven, go away to chill barely, then scoop the flesh out of the skins; discard the skins.
In a big saucepan, gently warmth a tablespoon of olive oil, then sweat the onion, curry powder, garlic, chilli and lime pickle, stirring typically, for about 10 minutes, till softened. Add the pumpkin flesh, stir till it’s heated via, then add the coconut milk.
Pour the pumpkin combine right into a blender (you could have to do that in batches), then blitz clean and alter the seasoning as essential. Maintain heat over a low warmth.
In the meantime, make the garam masala butter. Put the softened butter, garam masala, coriander, lime zest and spring onions in a bowl, then combine to mix.
On a medium to excessive warmth, heat a beneficiant glug of olive oil in a griddle pan giant sufficient to carry all of the hispi quarters (when you don’t have a griddle, a big frying pan will do). Char the cabbage for 3 or 4 minutes on every reduce facet, then flip the wedges on to their non-cut facet and smother with the butter (the butter retains nicely within the fridge, so use as little or as a lot as you want). Put the pan in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6 oven for 12 minutes, till the cabbage has softened.
Spoon a beneficiant quantity of the pumpkin curry on to a platter and high with the hispi wedges. Pour over the buttery cooking juices from the cabbage pan and serve without delay with plain rice and/or chapatis.
Hake, pumpkin katsu curry and togarashi
This dish was impressed by a visit to Japan just a few years in the past, throughout which I had katsu curry midway up a snowy mountain. After I acquired again dwelling, pumpkins have been in season and labored completely as a base for katsu sauce. Once more, freeze any extra sauce to make use of at a later date.
Prep 15 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
For the katsu curry
1kg pumpkin, halved, pulp and seeds eliminated and discarded
Olive oil
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
Salt and black pepper
40g sriracha
40ml soy sauce
40ml mirin
5ml sesame oil
15-20g medium curry powder, or to style
For the fish
Vegetable oil, for frying
50g gluten-free self-raising flour
175-200ml glowing water
400g hake fillet, skinned and reduce into 4 equal items
100g panko breadcrumbs
Togarashi seasoning, to complete
Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6. Reduce the pumpkin pores and skin and all into manageable chunks, then lay them pores and skin facet down on an oven tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the entire Sichuan peppercorns and season calmly with salt and pepper. Roast the pumpkin for about half-hour, till the flesh is cooked via and its color has deepened to a golden color (relying on the number of pumpkin and on the dimensions of the items, it could take somewhat longer to achieve this stage). Take away, go away to chill somewhat, then reduce into 4-5cm skin-on chunks.
Put the cubed pumpkin and all the opposite katsu curry substances in a blender (you could have to do that in batches), then blitz clean; if the sauce appears too thick, add somewhat water to loosen and blitz once more. Maintain the curry sauce heat on a low warmth.
Take a deep saucepan that’s large sufficient to carry the 2 items of hake in a single layer, fill it with vegetable oil to return 10cm up the edges, and warmth it to 190C/375F (when you don’t have a thermometer, take a look at the oil’s scorching sufficient by dropping in a slice of bread – it’s prepared if the bread turns golden after 10 seconds).
Whereas the oil is heating up, make the batter. Put the flour in a big bowl, then whisk in sufficient glowing water to loosen to the consistency of double cream. Coat the fillets of hake one after the other within the batter, toss within the breadcrumbs till nicely coated, then fastidiously lay within the scorching oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning sometimes, till the batter coating is crisp and golden, then use a slotted spoon to switch to a plate lined with kitchen paper to empty.
Season the fish with salt, then reduce into 2cm-wide slices. Spoon the curry sauce on to a big platter, high with the fish, sprinkle generously with togarashi and serve instantly with white rice.
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