3 Autumnal Pumpkin Recipes To Try Now
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3 Autumnal Pumpkin Recipes To Try Now

With autumn here and Halloween in sight, there’s rarely been a better time to make the most of pumpkin. Here, food writer and SL contributor Chloe Scott-Moncrieff shares some of her favourite recipes for you to try at home.

Pumpkin, Soba Noodles And Coconut Bowls

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
1 pumpkin, peeled and sliced into chunks
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1-2 red chillies, sliced
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
2-3 tbsp of vegetable stock
1 tbsp of fish sauce
½ x 400g tin of tomatoes
150g of soba noodles
Spices, use one or two: 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, a pinch of ground cinnamon
Fresh mint or coriander, chopped (optional – for garnish)
To blitz:
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4cm knob of ginger, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, ends chopped off
Method
Step 1

Blitz the onion, garlic, lemongrass and ginger into a paste. In a large pan, on a medium heat, pour in the paste. Sizzle gently in a little oil until the flavours are released. Add the spices. Toast for a few minutes. Then pour in the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes and season. If you want a smooth texture, you can always blend again at this point.

Step 2

On a low heat, add the pumpkin to the mix with the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime’s zest and juice and chilli. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water or vegetable stock if the mix dries out while cooking. Let it simmer gently until the pumpkin pieces are cooked.

Step 3

Simmer the noodles in a separate pan for 3-5 minutes.

Step 4

Taste and season the pumpkin with plenty of salt and black pepper. Drain the noodles and serve in bowls. Scatter with the pumpkin and coconut mix. Garnish with fresh mint or coriander.

Pumpkin Pepitas Winter Salad

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
1 cos lettuce, chopped
1 pumpkin, peeled and roasted
1 tsp of fennel or cumin seeds
2 avocados, sliced
1 packet of radishes, finely sliced
Pepitas green sauce:
1 handful of pumpkin seeds (pepitas) from the pumpkin
1 handful of basil
1 handful of tarragon
Half a garlic clove
2 tbsp of crème fraîche
1 tbsp of water
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190°C-200°C.

Step 2

Peel the pumpkin, slice into chunks and place on a baking tray. Drizzle a little olive oil and season. A drizzle of soy sauce over the pumpkin will increase flavour. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, until it’s roasted.

Step 3

Slice the avocado flesh, radish and lettuce. Place in a large bowl.

Step 4

Whiz the pepitas sauce ingredients in a Nutribullet or blender. Add a little salt and pepper. If it’s not creamy enough, pour in 1-2tbsp of water and blend again.

Step 5

When the pumpkin is cooked, remove and let it cool. Mix it with the rest of the salad, the fennel seeds and stir in the pepitas sauce. Season. Serve.

Pumpkin Mac ‘N’ Cheese

Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
45 Minutes
Ingredients
1 approx. 800g pumpkin or squash, or 500g of sweet potatoes
150g-200g of mature cheddar
2 tbsp of butter
2-3 tbsp of flour
400-500ml of milk
300g of any small pasta or macaroni
4 rashers of bacon
A sprinkling of thyme and paprika (optional)
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C-200°C. Peel the pumpkin and simmer in a pan of water on the hob for a few minutes. When cooked, drain and mash roughly; season with some salt and pepper.

Step 2

Cook the pasta until it’s a little underdone – the final cooking will be in the oven – about 5 minutes.

Step 3

With some scissors, chop the uncooked bacon into bits. Now make the cheese sauce by melting the 2 tbsp of butter and stirring in the bacon bits to release their fat. Sizzle for a couple of minutes, then stir in the flour.

Step 4

When it’s thick, on a gentle heat mix in the milk slowly, stirring continuously. Stir in the cheese and melt slowly on a low hob. Don’t beat the mixture up too much.

Step 5

When you’ve made the rich creamy sauce, mix in the drained pasta and the mashed pumpkin. Taste and season.

Step 6

Pour everything into a large ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the paprika or thyme, whichever you’re using. A grating of extra 2 tbsp of cheddar on top is good too. Bake for 15 minutes until bubbling.

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