Roasted Pumpkin with Miso and Lime Glaze

Please note that this recipe is not mine (neither the photos nor the text), it was created by Jolanta Gorzelana, a vegan chef who’ll be a guest blogger on the Herbalist Blog every now and then. Hope you enjoy! – Anna Rósa

This recipe for roasted pumpkin is very tasty and easy to make. It can be served on its own or as a side dish to lentil salad, baked beans, gnocchi, or risotto. Alternatively, you can blend it into a delicious sauce.

Since there are many varieties on the market, each pumpkin will have different skin, so cooking times will change from one variety to another. If you bought a pumpkin with thin skin, I would recommend cutting it into a crescent and then roasting it with the peel on (you will be surprised how tasty the peel is). If you only have a pumpkin with very hard and thick skin, I would recommend that you peel it and cut it into crescents or pieces.

Ingredients for 4 – 6 servings:

• 1 kg butternut pumpkin
• 25 g white or black sesame seeds (or a mix of both)
• optional: parsley, cilantro or finely chopped spring onion

For the miso-lime glaze:

• zest of 1 lime
• juice from 1/2 a lime
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons miso
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of liquid sweetener (I used maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (optional but recommended)
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 pinch of chili pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
• 1 pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and prepare a baking tray by covering it with parchment paper.
2. Clean the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Measure 1 kg and cut it into 2 cm wide wedges.
3. Prepare the glaze by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
4. Cover the pumpkin with the glaze by using your hands or a basting brush.
5. Bake the pumpkin for 30 minutes. Turn the wedges after about 15 minutes.
6. While the pumpkin is cooking, toast the sesame seeds in a non-stick pan (be careful not to burn them).
7. When the pumpkin is cooked, sprinkle it with sesame seeds and serve. If you like, add a few spoonfuls of coriander, parsley, or finely chopped spring onion.
8. Pumpkin prepared this way goes perfectly with a nice salad of legumes (perhaps lentils) or grains.