Easy recipes to create with those left over pumpkins
Image courtesy of Jan Huber on Unsplash
Halloween is over and as students we can't afford to miss the opportunity of a cheap meal. Why not take advantage of the reduced pumpkin prices and try one of these tasty recipes.
Pumpkin Risotto - Serves one
This is great for house dinners or when you want to impress.
Ingredients:
¼ of a medium-sized pumpkin, diced
1 Tbsp paprika
¼ onion diced
1 clove of garlic crushed
Handful of risotto rice
500 ml vegetable or chicken stock (Make with a stock cube)
Glass of White wine (optional)
Knob of butter
Handful of grated parmesan Image courtesy of kitchen.nine.com
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200˚C
Dice the pumpkin. Make up the stock cube and water. Place the diced pumpkin and some of the leftover seeds in a roasting tray, season it evenly with salt, pepper, and paprika. Then drizzle the pan with oil ensuring that each bit of pumpkin is coated.
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until it is soft and gooey. Once the pumpkin is cooked, you can start on the risotto.
Fry the onion and the garlic in a deep pan over a medium heat with some oil until the onion starts to turn transparent. At this point, add a few chunks of the cooked pumpkin and crush them lightly with your spoon.
Add the rice and some salt and pepper. Stir until the rice is completely coated in the oil and it looks shiny.
Add 100ml of the stock and stir until it is fully absorbed by the rice. Add another 100ml of the stock and stir until it is fully absorbed. (If you’re using the wine add it now). Keep adding the stock 100ml at a time while continuing to stir until the rice is soft.
Take your risotto off the heat. Stir in the parmesan and the butter. Cover the pan and leave it to the side for a few minutes. When you’re ready to serve, put it in a bowl with the rest of the roasted pumpkin and seeds on top. Then drizzle some of the oil from the baking tray on top as a dressing.
Pumpkin Tagliatelle - Serves one.
This is an easy recipe with few ingredients, perfect for where you’re feeling too lazy to cook but still want a hearty meal. Once the pumpkin is in the oven you’ve got at least 30 minutes to carry on with your work or watch an episode of Friends.
Ingredients:
¼ medium-sized pumpkin
Tagliatelle pasta (the amount you use depends on your hunger level) Image courtesy of bestrecipes.com
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
One clove of garlic
Chili flakes (optional)
Sliced red onion (optional)
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200˚C
Roast the pumpkin in the oven with a generous serving of oil, salt, and pepper for 35-40 minutes until it’s soft.
When the pumpkin is cooked, boil the pasta.
While the pasta boils, fry the pumpkin over medium heat with some chopped garlic and the onions, crush it with the back of a fork. Once this has fried set aside.
Once drained, stir the pasta into to the frying pan. Thoroughly mix (adding chili flakes or any other preferred seasoning) and it is ready to serve.
