What a magnificent centrepiece for a Halloween supper!
This aromatic recipe is so easy and a delicious way to enjoy your beautiful pumpkin.
The Persian Pilaf Pumpkin Surprise
1 medium pumpkin (approx. 2kg)
2 small opinions finely chopped
50g pistachio nuts roughly chopped
50g dried apricots chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
5cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2tsp fennel seeds
1tsp ground cinnamon
ground seeds from 3 cardamom pods
300ml vegetable stock (well seasoned)
125g basmati rice
2tbsp Mellow Yellow Oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare the pumpkin by carefully cutting around the top to create a lid. Scoop out and discard the seeds, replace the lid and place in a baking tin on a low shelf in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile heat a lidded pan on a medium setting and add 2tbsp Mellow Yellow when hot. Stir fry the onions for a few minuted until soft and glossy. Add the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, pistachio, apricots and rice. Stir well and then add the hot stock, cover and reduce the heat, simmer for around 10 minutes until the rice is almost cooked but still a little wet. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and fill with the rice mixture, replace the lid and loosely cover with foil. Return the pumpkin to the oven for 1 hour until the flesh is cooked thorough. Enjoy as the perfect centrepiece for a halloween supper!