October 25, 2005
Small Roasted Herb Pumpkins with Onions
You're probably being bombarded with pumpkin recipe newsletters and shows so I hope you guys can stand one more. The little pumpkins that have been decorating my windows began to look extremely tasty today ... but there wasn't much around the house to go with them. I saw a recipe recently that roasted shallots and slices of pumpkin together, and there's a bag of small onions I've been trying to get rid of ... and therein lies my inspiration for this dish.
As a side note, the only pumpkins I remember as a kid were either carved with a stupid grin or shaped like a can. There seems to be a sudden influx of Italian pumpkin dishes -- pasta dishes especially -- but I can tell you that this is not something we ate often as Sicilians. Cooking pumpkin is trendy but the recipes I see are not completely traditional. However, I like the dishes a lot -- a few of my favorites, which I hope to make during this month-o-plenty-pumpkins (and with tonight's leftovers!): pumpkin ravioli with sage and butter; pasta with pumpkin and sweet italian sausage; and of course, pumpkin ice cream (or gelato, whatever you prefer).
So let's get to it:
Cut two small pumpkins into wedges and place in a roasting tray along with about a pound of small onions that you've peeled, trimmed, and cut in half. Drizzle with olive oil (however much you like to use) and toss until well coated. Now add the fresh herbs -- about 8 sliced sage leaves, 6-8 sprigs of thyme, and a handful of sliced oregano. Grate over a generous amount of "Grains of Desire". (If you don't have Grains of Desire, grate some black peppercorns, nutmeg, and cloves instead.) Sprinkle with sea salt or coarse salt, and about 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
(Note: If I had a few cloves of garlic on hand, I would have thrown those in as well. But I am out. of. garlic. Now that's scary.) Toss well.
Roast in a preheated 425F/218C oven for a little under an hour, depending upon your oven. Toss from time to time during the cooking process. Before serving, season and top with more fresh herbs (marjoram pictured here). Optional: Grated pecorino romano.
Oh, I almost forgot -- my little pumpkins had thin, edible skins. If yours don't, either peel them before cooking or scoop from the skins while you're eating.
Grains of Desire: Black peppercorns/nutmeg/cloves/orange rind/red rose petals/grains of paradise/ginseng. Produced by the Cape Herb Spice Company of South Africa.
