roasted pumpkin, fennel & fig

i am a sucker for figs. so when my most loyal facebook fan asked me to come up with a fig recipe i searched high and low for the last of the fall figs in Berkeley. this time of year i regularly roast acorn, butternut and kabocha squash. so i figured– why not pumpkin? fennel is also a staple in my roasting pan, adding an earthy sweet flavor.

 

roasted pumpkin, fennel & fig
serves 6

small pumpkin

5 med fennel bulbs

basket of figs

3-4 tablespoons ghee, butter or coconut oil

sea salt

you will also need 2 baking sheets or shallow roasting pans

 

step by step

preheat over to 350-400 degrees depending on your oven.

cut up fennel bulbs into heart slices, about 6 slices per bulb. try to leave the center intact so that they hold together during cooking.

 

slice figs into halves, this keeps they moist and juicy while roasting. if your figs are really large you can cut them into smaller chunks.

 

to prep the pumpkin (this goes for any winter squash)

cut the top off to expose a flat fleshy top. slice in half.

put flat side down on a cutting board.  remove pumpkin rind with a vegetable peeler or with a large knife. only cut AWAY from your body and keep your hands out of the way!

 

spread evenly onto 2 roasting pans. no crowding! crowding leads to steaming which means that your vegges don’t get the delicious crispy edges.

 

 

toss with melted oil/butter

put into oven. roast for 1/2 hour to 45 min.

 

 

you know when your goodies are done when they are soft with brown crispy edges.

 

 

 

Basics of pumpkin seed toasting!

wash seeds in a strainer. clean seeds will cook more evenly.

boil for 10 min in salted boiling water– this keeps the seeds moist while cooking

pat dry

cover with the same kind of oil you used for the roasting above

sprinkle with salt

spread evenly on a pan- minor overlap ok!

toast at 325 until seeds for about 20 min.

test a few as you go to see if they are crunchy and done.

you dont need to wait for the outside to look dark brown. the inner part of the seed gets toasted before the outside.

eat them shell & all! dare i say better than popcorn?

ENJOY!