I love, when Fall comes, to buy those tiny pumpkins that I found either at my organic store or at the market (my favorite veggie supplier has stuff to die for) The problem is that I never knew what to do with them (besides looking at them mixed in an edible Halloween table centerpiece)…till that recipe ! Here’s a delicious and easy to make recipe with those little pumpkins. They are stuffed and served directly out of the oven in your plates with amazing golden tones. One of the herbs I use is sage which I’ve grown very found of lately. Sage has a bitter, camphorated taste and therefore mixing it with other spices is not ideal. It combines well with garlic, onion and rosemary though. Parsley is another neutral option that ‘matches’ its strong flavor. Sage has many virtues: it is loaded with antioxidants, with iron and vitamin K (useful for blood coagulation and bone making) I keep my sage leaves in the freezer so they do not rot and I only use what I need for each recipe. You can replace sage by another herb you prefer.Ingredients:
- 2 small pumpkins, cleaned and cut at approx. 4 cms from the top, cored (keep the top)
- 8 pancetta slices, diced
- 5 sage leaves, chopped
- 1 organic red apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 3 cup mushrooms (I’ve used porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and button mushrooms), cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup spelt grain
- 1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Guérande salt and pepper
Recipe:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- In a pan with boiling water, cook the spelt following the instructions on the package
- Drain and set aside
- In a pan, brown the mushrooms with 2 tbsp of olive oil; Set aside
- In a large bowl, mix the spelt, the pancetta, the apple, the sage, and the mushroom. Season to taste
- Stuff the pumpkins with the above mixed ingredients
- Place the two pumpkins in an oven dish and close them with their ‘lids’ (it does not matter if you can’t close the ‘lids’ properly). Cook till their skins come out slightly brown and bubbly (check with a knife if the pumpkin flesh is tender)
- Remove the ‘lid’, top with parsley and serve with the grated parmesan
Enjoy!