Roasted Buttercup Pumpkin with Sweetcorn and Polenta

Looking for a recipe to impress for your next dinner?  This recipe delivers visual impact, is tasty, healthy and filling.

The original recipe uses a buttercup pumpkin but I used individual red peppers for our book club dinner as we have a pumpkin hater in our midst.  I'm determined to make it again with the pumpkin because I can imagine how impressive it would be to bring a whole pumpkin to the table, only revealing the delicious filling when sliced.

Dish comments that the pumpkins can be roasted up to two days ahead then stuffed and baked on the day of serving.  I love a recipe which can be made in advance and popped in the oven to finish when I arrive home from work.  It's not often I have the luxury of time.

I'm going to faithfully share the original recipe, but note that I used red peppers instead of pumpkin and yoghurt instead of cream (typical me).  If you want to try the pepper variation, don't roast them in advance, just fill the raw peppers and bake.  The ingredients will look quite sloshy until the very end - I was worried that it would never set as my peppers were getting quite soft.  I removed the 'lids' towards the end so the filling browned slightly.

My red pepper version

Roasted Buttercup Pumpkins with Sweetcorn and Polenta

2 x 700g buttercup pumpkins
olive oil
butter

Filling
2T olive oil
knob of butter
1 1/2C sweetcorn kernels (canned is fine)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2t finely chopped rosemary
1t ground cumin
2 eggs
1/2C cream
1/4C milk
2T instant polenta
1/2C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4C chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cut the top third off the pumpkins and discard.  Using a  teaspoon, scoop out all the seeds, taking care not to pierce the skin.

Brush the cavity and skin with olive oil and place on a lined baking tray.  Put a small knob of butter in the cavity and season.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until just tender but not collapsing, as they will be cooked further once filled.

Filling:  Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan and sauté the sweetcorn, garlic, rosemary and cumin with a good pinch of salt for 5 minutes.  Cool

Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, polenta, Parmesan cheese and parsley in a bowl and season well.  Add the sweetcorn mixture and combine.  Divide the filling evenly between the two pumpkins and bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling is set and golden.  Cover the pumpkins lightly with aluminium foil if they get too brown before the filling has set.

Serves 4-8

Sneaky Grains: Artichoke-Rosemary Tart with Polenta Crust

For a while now I've been making small substitutions in my recipes to subtly nudge them higher up the health-scale.  Things like using yoghurt and cottage cheese to bulk up fritattas and muffins, sprinkling LSA on my breakfast, and slipping some quinoa into my breakfast.  It has been a windy path of trial and error and I find the error seems to come when too much of the flavour is sacrificed in the substitution.  For me there is no point in eating tasteless food just because it's healthy - what would be the point of taste buds?

Last week a new cookbook joined my stable which seems to neatly summarise my current thinking - Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck.  Ranging from breakfast to dessert, it has delicious-sounding recipes which feature well and lesser-known grains in starring or supporting roles.

Amazon blurb: "Food lovers and health-conscious home chefs alike learn how to integrate whole grains into their busy lives, from quick-cooking quinoa and buckwheat to the slower varieties such as spelt and Kamut. The stunning flavors and lively textures of whole grains are enhanced with natural ingredients such as butter, cream, and prosciutto--in moderation--to create lush Mediterranean-inspired recipes."


My first experiment was with a polenta-crusted tart.  The recipe is from the book, but I didn't have artichokes in the pantry so I improvised a bit using zucchini strips (potato peeler works well for this) instead of artichokes.  It was a bit of a long process - not a good Monday night meal and I think using zucchini was a mistake (see - trial and error!) because the filling lost a bit of flavour.  Next time I'd roast some pumpkin or toss in some bacon/prosciutto.  Sander didn't like the polenta crust much (he freely admits he's not a huge fan of polenta) but I think it has potential - I just need to play around with the seasoning I think.

As we've just come back from a fabulous (but super indulgent) weekend in Hong Kong and I'm feeling distinctly in need of some healthy food and early nights, I think Ancient Grains will be well used for the next wee while.  I'll just lay off the polenta for Sander's sake.

Artichoke-Rosemary Tart with Polenta Crust

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Polenta Crust

·         1 ½ C vegetable stock (low-salt if you can)

·         1 ¼ C water

·         ½  t fine sea salt

·         1 ¼ C polenta

·         ½ C shredded Parmesan cheese (use large holes of grater)

·         1 large egg (at room temp)

·         ¼ t freshly ground black pepper

Artichoke Cheese Filling

·         1C plain yoghurt

·         2 large eggs

·         ½ C finely chopped green onions (about 3)

·         2T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·         1T minced fresh rosemary

·         ½ t fine sea salt

·         ¼ t freshly ground black pepper

·         1 package frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed and drained (12-oz)

·         ½ C crumbled goat cheese

·         ½ C shredded Parmesan cheese

1.       To make the polenta crust, bring the stock and the water to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the salt.  Using a large whisk, slowly add the polenta in a thin stream, and continue whisking for 30 more seconds.  Decrease the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon about every 2 minutes to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring a few times.  The polenta will be fairly stiff.  Stir in the cheese, egg and pepper.

2.       Grease a 10-inch ceramic tart pan with olive oil or coat with cooking spray, and place on a wire rack.  Have ready a tall glass of cold water.  Dip a wooden spoon into the water as needed as you spread the polenta mixture across the center of the pan, pushing it up the sides.  Set aside to firm up at room temperature, about 15 minutes, and then form an even rim about ¾ inch thick with your slightly moist fingers, pressing firmly.

3.       Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 190°C

4.       Prepare the artichoke cheese filling.   Place the yoghurt, eggs, green onions, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 2C liquid measure or a medium bowl and combine well with a fork.  Distribute the artichoke quarters over the crust, cut sides up forming a circle along the rim and filling the center (you might not need all the hearts).  Sprinkle the goats cheese on to and gently pour the filling over the artichokes.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

5.       Bake the tart until the top turns golden brown and the filling sis set, about 45 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and set aside and room temp to firm up for at least 20 mins, 40 if you can wait.  Using a sharp serrated knife, cut into slices.  Serve with more freshly ground pepper on top if you like.