Roasted pumpkin with toasted crumbs, maple and sesame

This beautiful side dish makes a lovely accompaniment to a range of dishes and styles of food. It’s easily one of my favourite ways to eat pumpkin.

Credit: Savannah van der Niet

• serves

  8

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) jap or kent pumpkin, skin on, cut into 1.5-cm (½-inch) thick wedges
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 80 ml (2½ fl oz/⅓ cup) maple syrup
• 80 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) sesame seeds (a mix of black and white if possible)
• basil leaves, for serving

Walnut crumbs

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 60 g (2 oz/½ cup) walnuts, finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• 150 g (5½ oz/2 cups) panko or chunky breadcrumbs (see Note)
• 1 small handful chopped dill

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Lay the pumpkin wedges over the lined baking trays. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is beginning to soften and become golden.
3. Remove the baking trays from the oven and turn the pumpkin wedges over. Drizzle with the maple syrup and a little more oil, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for another 8–10 minutes, or until the pumpkin is very golden and soft.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the crumbs by heating the olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the walnuts, lemon zest and breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the dill and season well with salt and pepper.
5. Arrange the roasted pumpkin in a serving dish and scatter the crumb mixture all over. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

Note

• You can make your own panko crumbs by blending some toasted bread in a food processor. This is also a great way to use up bread that’s getting stale.

Recipe and images from The Shared Table by Clare Scrine, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.