This recipe looks amazing with the contrast between the sweet pumpkins and the sour roasted plums. The photograph in the book also looks phenomenal, so I had t give it a try.
The side dish lives up to the hype. The soft sweet pumpkin is charred and offset by the tart juices from the plums. The salty and spicy dressing adds the zing that is needed to complete the dish. This is a side that my guests always look at with a strange expression when served, maybe because of the plums, but it is always the first dish that disappears from the table once they have had a taste. It is the perfect side for any meal.
Gill Meller has been part of the River Cottage team for years working closely with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He has continued with the same theme, simple elegant foods without fuss. His recipes highlight the fresh and amazing produce of Britain in simple recipes that shine. He has been accredited with changing British cuisine through his work and is one of the leading voices in a healthier and tastier British cuisine. Root stem leaf flower is the first book of his that I own and will definitely not be the last. The recipes are vibrant and unique, simple fare that shines on the table. You will see me cook from here often.
For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin such as kabocha, butternut, sugar or other, peeled and thinly sliced into wedges
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5-6 ripe plums
Olive oil spray
For the marinade:
1 hot red chilli, minced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon of ginger paste
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Layer the sliced pumpkin on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes till the pumpkins are cooked through and soft.
Nestle the plums into the tray between the pumpkins and drizzle with the marinade. Put back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes till the plums are soft and beginning to break down.
Serve immediately.