Roast Pumpkin, Buffalo Mozzarella, Sage and Hazelnuts
This year we have two pumpkins growing in our garden, so I wanted to find a recipe that would be perfect to cook my pumpkin with. As soon as I saw this recipe I knew it was the one.
I recently bought this cookbook and I love it, the recipes are simple and look delicious and I love how the author writes about each recipe.
We loved this, the pumpkin was delicious and the flavours all worked so beautifully together. The pumpkin is soft and is sweet and delicious, the roasted hazelnuts add a beautiful nuttiness, sage is always amazing when it is fried and crisp, the lemon just adds a beautiful freshness at the end, the mozzarella is creamy and delicious.
This could actually be a meal in itself, a great vegetarian option, I however served it as a side to a cavalo nero and spinach pesto type pasta dish for a meat free night at our house.
Now the key with such a simple dish is your ingredients need to be quality ingredients. Buy the best olive oil that you can afford, buy pumpkins when in season, grow your own sage.
I used a butternut pumpkin that was growing in our garden, but you use your favourite variety, the original recipe says to use the Crown Prince variety.
Cook the pumpkin with the seeds in, it is easier to remove the seeds once it has roasted.
If you can find unwaxed lemons, that is ideal, otherwise wash you lemons well.
I recently bought this cookbook and I love it, the recipes are simple and look delicious and I love how the author writes about each recipe.
We loved this, the pumpkin was delicious and the flavours all worked so beautifully together. The pumpkin is soft and is sweet and delicious, the roasted hazelnuts add a beautiful nuttiness, sage is always amazing when it is fried and crisp, the lemon just adds a beautiful freshness at the end, the mozzarella is creamy and delicious.
This could actually be a meal in itself, a great vegetarian option, I however served it as a side to a cavalo nero and spinach pesto type pasta dish for a meat free night at our house.
Now the key with such a simple dish is your ingredients need to be quality ingredients. Buy the best olive oil that you can afford, buy pumpkins when in season, grow your own sage.
I used a butternut pumpkin that was growing in our garden, but you use your favourite variety, the original recipe says to use the Crown Prince variety.
Cook the pumpkin with the seeds in, it is easier to remove the seeds once it has roasted.
If you can find unwaxed lemons, that is ideal, otherwise wash you lemons well.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Julius Roberts' cookbook The Farm Table
Serves 4
1 pumpkin
6 tablespoons olive oil
50g blanched hazelnuts
12 fresh sage leaves
250g buffalo mozzarella
1 lemon, zested, juiced
Serves 4
1 pumpkin
6 tablespoons olive oil
50g blanched hazelnuts
12 fresh sage leaves
250g buffalo mozzarella
1 lemon, zested, juiced
Preheat your oven to 200C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Scrub the pumpkin and cut it into wedges. Toss the wedges in 3 tablespoons of the oil, season with salt, then spread on the baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes, until caramelised and tender. When cooked, remove from the oven and scrape out the pumpkin seeds.
While the pumpkin roasts, add the hazelnuts to a small ovenproof pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until golden and crisp, then lightly crush with a knife (or use a pestle and mortar).
Place a pan on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated, add the sage leaves and fry for 30-60 seconds, until just crisp, then transfer to plate lined with kitchen paper.
To serve, tear mozzarella onto a serving platter, top with the pumpkin wedges. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, the hazelnuts, sage leaves, the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste and season with cracked black pepper.
Scrub the pumpkin and cut it into wedges. Toss the wedges in 3 tablespoons of the oil, season with salt, then spread on the baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes, until caramelised and tender. When cooked, remove from the oven and scrape out the pumpkin seeds.
While the pumpkin roasts, add the hazelnuts to a small ovenproof pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until golden and crisp, then lightly crush with a knife (or use a pestle and mortar).
Place a pan on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated, add the sage leaves and fry for 30-60 seconds, until just crisp, then transfer to plate lined with kitchen paper.
To serve, tear mozzarella onto a serving platter, top with the pumpkin wedges. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, the hazelnuts, sage leaves, the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste and season with cracked black pepper.
Enjoy!