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Roast Pumpkin With Dukkha and Pomegranate

Slices of roasted pumpkin scattered with seeds spices and pomegranate arils on white rectangular platter with black rim.
Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Keep a jar of these spiced seeds around all winter to add life to any simply roasted vegetables.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings as a side dish, 2 as a main course

Ingredients

700g pumpkin or butternut squash
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp nigella seeds
4 Tbsp slivered pistachios
A small pomegranate

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Set the oven at 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Scoop out the seeds and fibers from the middle of the pumpkin or butternut squash. Slice the flesh into thin segments, each about 1cm thick. Lay the pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Trickle over the olive oil and season with black pepper, then bake for about thirty minutes, until soft and translucent.

    Step 2

    In a dry frying pan, mix the coriander and cumin and toast over a low to moderate heat for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and continue toasting for about five minutes, stirring regularly until all is golden.

    Step 3

    Stir in the thyme and salt, then grind the mixture using a pestle and mortar, cracking the seeds roughly. Keep the mixture rough and knobbly. Fold in the nigella seeds and pistachios. Break open the pomegranate and remove the seeds.

    Step 4

    When the pumpkin comes from the oven, scatter over the pomegranate seeds, about half the spice and seed mixture and serve. Store the remaining mixture in a jar until needed.

The book cover with a slate grey background and a foreground graphic of ombré copper birch trees.
From The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes for Winter © 2018 by Nigel Slater. Reprinted by permission of Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.
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