2 delicious pumpkin recipes

If roast or soup are your go-to pumpkin options, try a little sweet and spice.

Ruth Pretty’s pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting MAKES: 24-30 little cupcakes

The key to a good batter is to mix each batch of ingredients until just combined – it’s crucial to not over-mix it.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

200g sugar

125ml canola oil

245g (1 cup) steamed and mashed

pumpkin, chilled

140g flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger pinch freshly ground nutmeg frosting (recipe at right)

2 tbsp toasted, chopped walnuts

2 tbsp finely chopped, dried apricots

2 tbsp roughly chopped, lightly toasted pumpkin seeds METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray baby muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.

2 Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until just combined. Add the oil and pumpkin and mix again.

3 Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and stir – don’t overmix it, but make sure all the lumps are dissolved.

4 Pour into prepared muffin trays to the ¾ mark. Bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave in tins for at least 5 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool.

5 Mix the chopped walnuts, apricots, and pumpkin seeds in a bowl.

6 Turn the cupcakes over, so the bases face upwards. Ice with cream cheese frosting, then sprinkle with the walnut, apricot, and pumpkin seed mix.

RUTH’S TIPS

• The finished raw mixture from Step 3 can be frozen in the muffin tins, ready to cook. To bake from frozen, increase the baking time by 2-3 minutes.

• Store mashed pumpkin in the freezer, ready to make a batch of cupcakes.

Cream cheese frosting INGREDIENTS

150g block of cream cheese, diced 225g icing sugar ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract or essence 1½ tsp lemon juice METHOD

1 Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat until smooth.

2 Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl, add the vanilla and juice, and beat again until smooth.

These little cupcakes are moist, tasty and just the right size to enjoy with tea or coffee.

Pumpkin & chickpea coconut curry SERVES: 4

Roasting the pumpkin first makes this curry flavourful and naturally sweet. Like many curries, this one tastes better the next day.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup coconut oil, melted

500g peeled and cubed pumpkin

3 cloves garlic

4cm fresh ginger

2 tsp cumin seeds

1½ tsp coriander seeds

6 cardamom pods (husks removed, seeds only) ½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp tomato paste ¼ cup desiccated coconut

1 large brown onion, peeled and finely diced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

500ml vegetable stock

½ tbsp lemon juice

400ml coconut milk salt fresh coriander leaves METHOD

1

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2

Spread the pumpkin cubes on an oven tray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and slightly caramelised around the edges. 3

While the pumpkin is cooking, start on the curry paste. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamom seeds. Transfer to a pan set over medium heat and toast for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant.

4

Transfer the seeds to a blender, then add the turmeric, chilli, garam masala, ginger, garlic, desiccated coconut, tomato paste, and 2 tbsp of coconut oil and blitz until smooth.

5

Set a large pot over a medium heat and add 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Add the onion and sauté gently until translucent and starting to caramelise.

6

Add a little more oil and the curry paste, then lower the heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more oil if it starts to stick on the bottom.

7

Add the chickpeas and cook for a further minute, then pour in the stock, coconut milk, and lemon juice. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half, then season with salt to taste.

8

Add the roasted pumpkin and simmer for another 5 minutes, then again taste for seasoning. Serve with a fresh coriander garnish.