My weekly newsletter is back! Sorry for the wait, I took some time off to relax and eat my way around some of Italy and Sicily, and it’s taken me a while to get back into the swing of real life again. I’ll now be sending out recipes on a Tuesday (who likes Mondays anyway) starting with this lovely autumnal grub.
I don’t usually like to buy into the pumpkin hype, but my favourite variety deserves some seasonal attention. Delica pumpkin is something I’ve never been able to find in trad supermarkets, but it’s a joy to cook with, and of course, eat. I first ate it when I was working in Rosie’s Deli Cafe in Brixton market six years ago. It was cooked by one of my first proper cooking mentors and cooking inspirations: Katie, the main chef at the cafe at the time. She sliced it into crescent shapes, roasted it low and slow, drizzled it with a sweet-and-sharp pomegranate molasses, and sprinkled over fresh pomegranate, nigella seeds and fresh coriander. It looked beautiful, tasted wonderful, and introduced me to a world of pumpkin past carving.
Ever since, I’ve relished in the ritual of heading to Nour Cash and Carry (the same place where I used to buy ingredients when Katie was training me up to cover her chef shifts) to buy my favourite pumpkin, and create something tasty with it. This season’s craving was a creamy miso cauliflower mash (this recipe from mob was my inspiration) with a hit of toastiness and heat from some spiced toasted seeds. The flesh of Delica pumpkin is deep orange, dense, buttery and nutty when roasted, making it the perfect pairing for a creamy mash, and a welcome base for a little spice. Now that I think about it, this dish would probably be a great vegetarian roast component too. Oh, and one last thing - don’t peel it! The skin is delicious, and the colour contrast always looks ace on the plate.
Roasted pumpkin with creamy miso cauliflower and spicy seeds
Serves 4
1/2 a large Delica pumpkin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large cauliflower
2 tsp white miso paste
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1/2 a tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 a tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp mixed seeds
1 red chilli (to garnish)
green veg (to serve)
Preheat the oven to 180C. Remove the seeds from your pumpkin and slice into 1-2cm thick crescent shapes. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with oil, coat by tossing the tray and season with a large pinch of salt.
Roast for 30 minutes, gently turning using a fork halfway through.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and chop your cauliflower into evenly sized florets. Once the water is boiling rapidly, add your cauliflower and boil for 10-15 minutes until really tender.
Once tender, drain and add to a blender (or back into the pan if you’re using a stick blender) with the miso paste, butter, milk and plenty of salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
Then, add the cumin and mustard seeds to a hot, dry frying pan and toast for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the rest of the seeds and toast for a further couple of minutes. Finely slice the chilli.
To serve, spread the cauliflower mash on a large platter, then top with the pumpkin. Sprinkle over the seeds, then the red chilli. Serve with your favourite green veg, or as part of a roast dinner.
I went to Italy and ate a lot of food. That’s basically it, but I’m going to be recommending my favourite things in each place I went over the next few weeks, and this week I’ll be reliving the fried delights of Naples…
Pizza from Trianon: lots more choice than L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, and a lot less manic to get in.
Pizza from L’Antica da Michele: legendary, only three pizzas on offer which obvs means they’re all great.
Pizza fritti from Pizza Fritta da Gennaro: lovely man selling lovely deep fried pizza (thank you for the recommendation, Teresa!).
Deep-fried pasta from Trattoria da Nennella: Absolutely mad meal including lights-off disco dancing, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and limoncello shots.
Natural wine from Puteca Wine Bar: Tasty local natural wines.
Red Peronis.
Other favourites include a cup of Nocciola (hazelnut espresso coffee) or a cappuccino with a sfogliatella pastry, and the abundant €1 aperol or campari spritzes available from shops, cafes and street stands (served with no soda water - just pure amaro and sparkling wine…).