A delicious way to enjoy butternut pumpkin. No need to remove the skin, and try not to overcrowd the tray; give everything space so it roasts rather than steaming. And don’t be shy with colour – those dark edges on the pumpkin are where all the flavour is. I serve this with sliced chilli on the side to keep it family friendly.
Roasted butternut pumpkin with chickpeas, tahini mandarin yoghurt, pomegranate and herbs
(Pictured above)
Serves 2–4
½ large butternut pumpkin, seeds removed, sliced into 1cm rounds
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
For the tahini mandarin yoghurt
200g natural yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
Zest of 1 mandarin (use a microplane)
Juice of ½ mandarin (squeeze it with your hands, then sieve)
A little grated garlic
To finish
3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Small handful mint, leaves picked
Small handful coriander, leaves picked
3 tbsp chopped almonds and macadamias
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
Place the pumpkin slices on a tray. Drizzle with two tablespoons of the olive oil, as well as the honey, then sprinkle with the cumin and paprika, then season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well, then spread out in a single layer. Roast for about 25 minutes to colour.
While the pumpkin is roasting, in a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Remove the tray from the oven. Scatter the chickpeas and garlic over the pumpkin, then return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes until everything is golden and caramelised and the chickpeas have crisped up a bit.
Meanwhile, make the tahini yoghurt. In a bowl, combine the yoghurt, tahini, mandarin zest and juice, garlic and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust with extra yoghurt, tahini, juice or salt – you want it creamy and slightly nutty, with a gentle citrus lift.
To serve, spread the yoghurt over a plate. Pile on the roasted butternut and chickpeas, then finish with pomegranate seeds, mint and coriander leaves, almond and macadamias, and a drizzle of olive oil.
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Darren Robertson, co-founder of Three Blue Ducks, and Doug Innes-Will, Bundanon executive chef, are hosting a Twilight Feast as part of the Make Good festival on 30 May at Bundanon, NSW
