Savory Roasted Pumpkin - Fall Recipes

22 October

As the calendar starts points towards October I feel a great amount of joy. It not only that time of the year when we Bengalis have our biggest festival - Durga Pooja or the entire country is into Navratri and Diwali celebrations but it also means my most cherished festival Christmas is not far behind. 

But before December October and November are the months which remind me of the beautiful fall time I had experience while living in Atlanta. We used to go on so many roadtrips in the Blueridge parkway region. I absolutely used to love those vibrant fall colors enveloping the rolling hills. 

But fall didn't only mean roadtrips or camping for us, it also meant Halloween, thanksgiving and baking some amazing stuffs with the seasonal pumpkins. The house would smell like a bakery - cinnamony, spicy , warm and bright. Those delicious pies and breads would make everyday of autumn so much more enticing. India doesnt really have a vibrant fall season. But still those experiences linger on in my mind and owing to lockdown situation last year I did have some time on hand to try a few autumnal recipes for the first time in India. 

This time however I was better prepared to welcome autumn. I made sure I had purchased a bottle of all spice before fall arrived. Homemade pumpkin spice, roasted pumpkins, pumpkin pies, pumpkin drinks - you name it and I have it on the list. I don't know how much of it would be feasible in reality, as I have a lot of travel plans in the next 15 days, but still I will try to indulge as much as I can :D.

Big basket actually surprised me this year with a new variety of small, dense, flavour rich and sweet pumpkins. They look super cute as you can see from some of these pumpkin shots, fitting right into my expanded palms. They taste absolutely heavenly. There is a dish in Bengal which we call seddho bhat - boiled vegetables with steamed rice and a dollop of pure ghee. Pumpkin is a very essential veggie in that Seddho bhat preparation. And with this pumpkin seddho bhat tasted like never before! I tried a bunch of Indian recipes before I thought let me now try some true blue autumnal recipes from the states.

Hence today here I am talking about the very basic Roasted Pumpkin recipe. This is the basic step before you use pumpkin in any of the other recipes. You can make a sweet or a savory roasted pumpkin depending on what you are going to use it for. This is a savory recipe meant to be had as a side. Indians can have it with your rice and daal too. I will also post a recipe later for pumpkin puree.

• Do you leave the skin on when roasting pumpkin?
• It depends on the type of pumpkin and on your preference. I prefer leaving the skin on as it helps hold the shape.

• How do you ensure the roast pumpkin isn't soggy?
• To prevent sogginess, you need to roast the pumpkin at high heat. I baked it at 200 degree in my convection oven.

• What do you do with the seeds?
• When making roasted pumpkin do not discard the seeds. They can be later roasted with spices to make a delicious healthy snack!

Preparation Time : 10 minutes 

Baking Time : 20-25 minutes

Serves - 2 -3 adults

Ingredients :

• Red Pumpkin - small 1/2 pumpkin
• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
• Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Rosemary Twigs- 1
• All spice powder (Optional) - a tiny pinch
• Salt - for sprinkling

Equipment:

• Baking Tray
• Parchment paper
• Knife
• Oven

Method

1. Using a sharp knife, cut pumpkin in half lengthwise. Then use a sharp spoon to scrape out all of the seeds and strings. Now cut lengthwise wedges.

Tip: Smaller pumpkins have more flavours. The bigger they are, the flavours are not that rich. You want a small pumpkin with firm, deep orange flesh to make the best Roasted Pumpkins.

2. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit

3. In the meantime make the spice mix. The spice mixture can be changed as well according to your taste or needs. I used a very basic spice mix for this comprising of olive oil, garlic powder, chilli powder, all spice powder.

Tip: You can substitute chili powder with smoked paprika.

Tip: Garlic powder can be substituted by grated garlic.

4. Rub the wedges with the spice mixture until coated all over

5. Line the baking tray with a parchment paper. Now Arrange the pumpkin cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking tray.

6. Sprinkle with a little salt over the wedges

7. Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-25 minutes or until the wedges are as soft. Toss them once half way through and keep checking in between for doneness.

Let it cool for about 5 minutes and serve immediately. You can enjoy the spicy pumpkin wedges with a homemade yoghurt dip or as a side dish with your meals.