Tart London: How to make roasted pumpkin with buffalo mozzarella

Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison get in the Halloween spirit with roasted pumpkin
26 October 2017

Autumn has truly set in — golden-brown leaves are whirling handsomely through London’s streets and filling us with seasonal excitement.

At this time of year the pumpkin reigns supreme. No food symbolises blustery autumn quite like it. Groceries stock their shelves with different shapes, colours and sizes; delicious sweet treats made from the orange flesh appear, from cookies to pies to ice creams; and coffee shops are filled with the aroma of spiced pumpkin lattes. And, of course, a pumpkin — with its top sliced off, insides gutted and carved with a ghoulish smile — is the ultimate symbol of Halloween.

Halloween originated in Celtic Ireland, marking the passage from the summer harvest season to dark winter. Gruesome faces were carved into turnips and potatoes to scare away passing invaders, while big bonfires were lit to unsettle the spirits and drive them away. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.

There’s something very therapeutic about carving a pumpkin. And when you’ve finished admiring your artwork, you can slice it up to make this tasty recipe. It’s a perfect starter or sharing dish for the end of the harvest season.

Roasted pumpkin with buffalo mozzarella

Ingredients:

Half a medium-sized pumpkin, cut into wedges

7 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 garlic cloves

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked off

2 sprigs sage, finely chopped

½ tsp dried chilli

1 tbsp pine nuts

Small bunch fresh oregano

Small bunch basil

Juice of ½ lemon

Sea salt and pepper

Two balls of buffalo mozzarella

1 red chilli, finely chopped

Handful of pea shoots

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a large baking tray with parchment and arrange the pumpkin wedges in a single layer. Drizzle over 3 tbsp of olive oil and the vinegar, then scatter over the garlic, thyme, sage, chilli and plenty of seasoning. Mix by hand and roast for 20 minutes. Place pine nuts on a separate tray and toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and blitz in a blender with the oregano, basil, the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste. Arrange the pumpkin on a serving platter. Tear the mozzarella balls in half and arrange on top, then scatter over the pine nuts, chopped chilli and pea shoots, and drizzle over the herby oil.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in