
Pumpkins!
Pumpkins have a high antioxidant content, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin as well as a high level of vitamin A (which strengthens your immune system) – perfect October food to guide you through the season change.
If you’re looking for a wonderful pumpkin soup recipe, I can really recommend this one from Ottolenghi
https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/pumpkin-saffron-orange-soup-with-caramelised-pumpkin-seeds
It’s a great recipe for November as we move in to saffron season.
Alternatively, this is also a family favourite for a cold day. https://nourishmagazine.com.au/recipes/roasted-pumpkin-soup-with-crispy-chickpeas/
One of our most loved pumpkin lunch recipes comes from Diana Henry. She roasts the pumpkin and then serves with burrata and a hazelnut pesto. Super seasonal and such wonderful flavour combinations.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/roast-pumpkin-with-burrata-and-hazelnut-pesto/
And if you are looking for a sensational autumnal salad, we adapt Tom Hunt’s recipe from The Natural Cook where he combines with chickpeas, kale, pomegranate and a touch of tahini.
Serves 4-6
600g pumpkin, seeds removed and cut into large wedges about 3cm thick
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we use Il Classico from De Carlo
150g kale
1 garlic clove, chopped
Seeds of ½ pomegranate
100g cooked chickpeas
For the dressing
1 tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove, crushed
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we use Il Sincero from Marco Viola.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Drizzle the pumpkin wedges with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for around 30 minutes until slightly coloured and soft in the middle when pricked with a knife.
Strip the kale from its stalks. Finely chop the stalks and roughly shred the leaves. Wash thoroughly. Cook the stalks for 1 minute in a frying pan with olive oil and then add the leaves for a further minute. Add the garlic and mix over the heat for a further minute. Season and remove from the heat.
For the dressing mix the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil together then add in the water to form a smoother paste. Add more water as needed until you have the consistency of double cream.
Layer all of the ingredients on a deep plate: the roasted pumpkin, the wilted kale and the chickpeas. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and the dressing just before serving.