A Splendiferous Pumpkin Stew.
This year the shops and markets have been full of splendiferous squashes and pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. Obviously the really big'uns, the 'how-the-hell-do-we-get-that-home-without-a-car?' pumpkins made their appearance just in time for the great Hallowe'n carve up. But there have also been many other smaller varieties available and naturally I just had to have'em'. In fact I still do. They're so lovely I have them displayed in my front room on the fireplace (we don't use the fire) just so I can admire their loveliness.
However I will cook them, soon, and when I do this little dish is one that is not only warming and colourful but absolutely moreish to boot. I've only used Butternut Squash so far when cooking this as it holds it shape well and I adore the flavour but with my batch of beauties including some Ambercup, Delicata, Harlequins and Carnival squashes, I plan to experiment.
I never experienced squashes or pumpkins as a child (too exotic for my folks) and in fact I only tasted pumpkin soup on my very first visit to Australia in 1993! I recently had a deliciously silky smooth pumpkin soup served with curds (presented in a lovely little hollowed out squash) at Trinity restaurant, Clapham. So flavoursome and a cheery bright orange.
This dish started life as an Afghani recipe that I had picked up somewhere but I tweaked it as I like the spicy/sweet combination. The original was much sweeter and had no chilli. I like sweet savoury dishes but, not being used to sweet vegetables, I toned the sugar content down.
A Sweet (& possibly spicy) Pumpkin Stew
Serves 4
(or 6+ as part of a buffet-style meal)
900 grams Butternut squash (or a similar pumpkin / squash)
4 tablespoons of oil (a plain tasting oil)
Sweet Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
230 ml of water
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
200 grams chopped tomatoes
5 cm fresh ginger, chopped finely
1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon black pepper
small pinch of chilli flakes
Yogurt Sauce:
¼ teaspoon crushed garlic,
pinch of salt,
150 ml plain thick yogurt
Garnish:
mint leaves, shredded
Method
Peel the pumpkin, deseed it, scrap away all the stringy bits and cut into large cubes (approximately 5 cm).
Heat the oil in a large frying pan that can easily accommodate all the pumpkin. Fry the pumpkin cubes on all sides until they are lightly browned, taking care not to break up the pumpkin too much.
Add the chopped ginger and stir in for 1 minute then add the ground coriander and cook gently for another minute taking care not to let the ginger burn.
Mix together the remaining ingredients for the Sweet Tomato Sauce together separately then add to the pumpkin mixture in the frying pan. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes over a low heat until the pumpkin is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed by the pumpkin. If the sauce is not reducing then remove the cover and allow the sauce to evaporate. You want a medium consistency sauce and not an overly sloppy sauce!
Mix together the ingredients for the Yogurt Sauce in a separate bowl ready to spoon over individual servings. A traditional Afghani way of serving this is to spread some of the yogurt sauce on a serving plate, place the stew on top and then spread the remaining yogurt sauce over the stew. Sprinkle with the shredded mint leaves and eat with nan or rice.