COURT SQUASH
5The doyennene of Daylesford Alla Wolf-Tasker saysays availability of different types of pumpkins today, including heirloom varieties, makes cooking through the cool season a pleasure. “My favouritess are musquee provence for the glorious colour of its flesh and the French ‘warty’ pumpkin, so called because of the texture of its skin. The latter has good texture and flavour. Victoria seems to grow particularly good pumpkins,” the Lake House culinary director says.
Both these varieties are great slow roasted in wedges with their skin left on. They also both respond particularly well to being rubbed with miso paste before roasting. “Add some toasted buckwheat and toasted pepitas and you certainly have a wholesome side dish, but really a deliciouscious vegan meal Turning as well,”” Alla says.
pumpkin into a rostis is a great way to put a twist on the classic pikeletet with smoked fish and crème fraiche, according to Sophie. Remove skin from pumpkin, grate and use to cover a pan drizzled with olive oil. Use a spatulas to flatten and turn sporadically — it will take about 20- 35 mins to cook through on both sides on a med-low heat. Season and serve wwith either freshly pan-fried or smoked river trout with a dollop of crème fraiche and some so fried sage sa leaves. “With a poached po egg this becomes the brunch that keeps on giving,” givin Sophie says. 7“Pumpkin marmalade is great for cheese or a spread for toast that goes with absolutely everything,” Joe says. Place the pumpkin whole iin a medium hot oven until it’s totally collapsed and cooked. Remove the skin aand seeds. On the side bring water, brown sugar and white wine vinegar to boil and then add the pumpkin. Mix well and transfer to baking dish, cover and slow cook in oven for at least 2 hours. Allow to cool, and place in jars with 8For tightly fitted lids. the perfect pumpkin risotto, Joe takes ta a mature pumpkin diced into 4cm cubes tossed through olive oil, chopped sage, salt and a sprinkle of smoked paprika and roasts it in a hot oven (220C) until golden. Set aside. For the risotto, sweat finely chopped shallots and garlic in a pan on medium heat until the mix becomes soft. Add the rice and lightly toast, then add dry white wine. Once the wine has been absorbed cover with hot stock and stir, adding stock as it becomes absorbed. Add the pumpkin at the 12 min mark (risotto usually takes 16 mins to cook). Finish with chopped thyme, butter, parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto plates and complete with 9“a drizzle of aged balsamic. Japanese pumpkin is my favourite for making pumpkin gnocchi with,” Alla says. Tossed with brown butter, scattered with a few fried sage leaves and some shavings of parmesan and you have a gorgeously comforting dish to warm when it’s cold, she says. 10Japanese pumpkin is also Donovan Cooke’s choice to make his roast pumpkin and gruyere souffle. The Ryne chef/owner roasts the skin-on pumpkin in a very hot oven until charred, scoops out the flesh, seasons and purees. Add this to a gruyere-flavoured béchamel, season then fold with whipped egg whites. Bake at 180C for 8 mins. Garnish with fried sage leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds. “It’s a dish impressive in flavour and appearance,” 11“Donovan says. We’re making southern American-style succotash, which is almost like a stir-fry with pumpkin and brassicas like mustard greens with green
“Victoria seems to grow particularly good pumpkins” AL LAW OLF-TASKER ON LOCAL PRODUCE
further olive, preserved lemon, hot sauce, and fresh herbs," says Morgan McGlone from Natural History. 1 ")"Spiced chicken and12 smoked almonds with pumpkin hummus is a dish tt rat is always my go to when i I'm preparing a melt 15( )gof butter in a large pa in, add 400 grams Fort he spiced chicken, winter r nenu at Maha," says Shane Delia. chicken mince and cook on high until light brown. Reduce heat to medium, add 2 diced onions and 2 cloves o If garlic, crushed. until cooked ramelised, then add 2 tbsp of black Aleppo pepper, 100g sit cooked almonds, juice of 1 lemon , a handful of chopped parsley and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season to taste. Meanwhile, roughly chop 500g peeled jap pumpkin and roast in 180C oven for about 20 minutes or until tender. In a food processor, combine 400g cooked chickpeas, 40g garlic, 100g tahini, 100ml lemon juice and the roasted pumpkin. Blend until smooth. Add 120ml olive and finish with 30g ground cinnamon. Season to taste.
To plate, make a well with the hummus in a large shallow bowl, fill the well with the chicken mixture and serve with 13“good flat bread. We have explored many varieties and one that we love roasting whole with the skin on is ‘Marina di Chioggia’, a very warty looking and large pumpkin that
caramelises beautifully,” says Matt McConnell of Bar Lourihna. “We serve it simply with labne and some toasted andnd crushed sesame seeds mixedd with olive 14“oil.” Kuri Red is anothernother variety that I have used ever since I came acrossross it five years ago,” Matt says.s. “This is a wondwonderful red/orangege flesh pumppumpkin that’s moree savoury than sweets in flavour.r. We peel it first, tthen salt and slowlyowly bake it with bbutter until it’s meltingly soft. WWe then puree itt till smoosmooth and serve it with a twictwice-cooked piecee of briskebrisket and a dustingg of smsmoked 15“chilli.” To bring out the bbest in a pumpumpkin I like to roaroast them whole overovernight at 110 degrdegrees,” says Gerard Gera Phelan at MontMontalto. “The best varietvariety for this is the kabockabocha but if you can’tn’t find one, a good old Queenslandnsland blue iis fine. In the morningrning just scscoop out the insidesides and discard, spoon the flesh out and add to warm winter salads with some ancient grains and a stretched curd cheese like stracciatella 16“or burrata.” From a cook’s perspective, each pumpkin variety has its own charm,” says Paul Wilson who uses a range of heirloom varieties across the menu at Wilson + Market. He uses Galeux de Eysines for replacing tomato in pasta sauces (can be substituted for blue doll pumpkin) — quarter, season, bake in oven until soft and blitz flesh in food processor with herbs, garlic, chilli and 17“goat’s cheese. Musquee de Provence is quite sweet with a texture like perfect mashed potatoes,” Paul says. He suggests using the puree for making into a waffle or pancake batter to serve with mapleglazedglazed bacon. “Bitter chocolate is terrific with pumpkin, think chocfrosted pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin doughnuts filled with Nutella.
“Bitter chocolate is terrific with pumpkin, think choc-frosted pumpkin muffins” PAUL WILSON