Pumpkin is not just for Halloween! Their season usually starts in September and continues into early December. We waste so many perfectly edible pumpkins for the Halloween holiday to decorate our homes and never eat them. This recipe uses the entire pumpkin. You can also use butternut squash if you can’t get your hands on a pumpkin.
Serves 4
1 small or medium pumpkin or 1 butternut squash
a pinch of chilli powder
a pinch of paprika
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
40g butter
rapeseed oil
100g baby spinach
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
Cut the pumpkin into wedges so that it’s easier to manage. Aim for six wedges for a medium pumpkin or four wedges for a small one or a butternut squash. Using a spoon, scoop out all the seeds and any loose bits of flesh from the centre of each wedge and set aside. Using a sturdy vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, carefully remove the skin from each piece and set it aside.
If you’re into kitchen gadgets, then this is the time to get your spiralizer out of the cupboard and turn that pumpkin flesh into pumpkin spaghetti. Or you can just use a sharp knife to cut the wedges lengthways into long, thin strips.
To make the pumpkin skin lardons, cut the skins into small squares, like bacon lardons. Put them in a bowl and season with the chilli powder, paprika, salt and pepper, then spread them out on a baking tray. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring them around halfway through, until they are crisp.
Increase the oven temperature to 210°C (190°C fan).
Meanwhile, blanch the pumpkin seeds – it’s the easiest way to remove the pieces of pumpkin flesh clinging to them. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the seeds and boil for 1 minute, then drain and cool under cold running water.
Rub the seeds between your fingers to remove any flesh, then spread them out on a baking tray and put a clean tea towel over them to soak up any excess water. Drizzle over some rapeseed oil and sprinkle with paprika and salt, tossing so that the seeds are all evenly coated. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Now it’s time to bring it all together. Melt the butter with a splash of rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the pumpkin noodles, season with salt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until warmed through – you’re not really cooking these, just warming them up and softening them a little. Add the pumpkin skin lardons and baby spinach and cook just until the spinach has wilted slightly.
To serve, divide the noodles, lardons and spinach between four plates and top with the pumpkin seeds.
