Roasted pumpkin with buckwheat, yoghurt and pumpkin (pepita) seed + pickled chilli pesto

My baby boy turned 13 yesterday and I’m still struggling to comprehend how fast those years have flown by. He was just over 2 years old when I started this blog. To think he doesn’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating and sharing recipes is crazy. But that’s life aye? It feels like it was only yesterday we were swimming in the ocean daily and lapping up the sweet summer sun, and just like that it’s freezing and we’re nudging ever closer to the long, wet and cold months of winter. Can you tell I dread winter?

It’s been a full few weeks around here, with all the book events around the country, as well as winter sports starting up. We had our first frosts overnight last night and I’m definitely feeling like warming, nourishing and simple meals like this one I created awhile back for my column in Nourish Magazine. Packed with all the flavours I love, plant-based protein in the form of nutty buckwheat (you could also replace with quinoa or millet if preferred). If you’re dairy-free and/or vegan, just use a nice plain coconut yoghurt. The Pumpkin seed and pickled chilli pesto is absolutely delicious and would be equally as good smeared onto corn tortillas for quesadillas or tacos, used in sandwiches, burgers or simply served with crackers and chopped up vegetables. If you’ve made my pickled chillies recently, It’s a great place to use up a few of them.

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Roasted pumpkin with buckwheat, yoghurt and pumpkin (pepita) seed + pickled chilli pesto

Ingredients

• 1 medium buttercup pumpkin (squash) washed, seeds removed, cut into thin wedges
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup hulled buckwheat
• Juice 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Thick plain or coconut yoghurt, toasted pumpkin seeds + sliced pickled chillies to serve

Pumpkin (pepita) seed + pickled chilli pesto

• 1/2 cup pumpkin (pepita) seeds lightly toasted
• 1 clove garlic peeled
• 1 cup loosely packed coriander (cilantro) leaves and tender stalks roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickled chilli (approx. ½ jalapeno)
• Juice 1 lime
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Arrange pumpkin on a tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast 20-25 minutes or until tender and golden.

  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add buckwheat and cook 5-7minutes or until just tender, drain well and transfer to a bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt, to taste.

  Combine ingredients for the pumpkin seed and pickled chilli pesto in a small food processor and pulse until smooth-ish. Season with salt, to taste.

  To serve, arrange pumpkin wedges on a platter, scatter over buckwheat, dollop on pumpkinseed + pickled chilli pesto and a little yoghurt and top with sliced pickled chillies.

Notes

You can find my recipe for making your own pickled chillies here.