An easy and filling vegetarian dish. Butternut squash or hokkaido pumpkin works well in this recipe. Pumpkin can also easily be swapped for sweet potato and if you want a fully vegan version just leave out or replace the butter and parmesan with plant based alternatives. If you don`t have gochujang you can use any other type of chili paste, like harissa or sambal oelek.
Ingredients
- 400 g pumpkin
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp gochujang
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 x shallots
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 can white beans
- 30 g parmesan
- 1 x organic lemon
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1 pinch chili flakes
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and slice into wedges. Transfer to a sheet pan with parchment paper and dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Stir together vinegar, maple syrup, gochujang, 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Brush both sides of the pumpkin wedges with the marinade and continue to bake for about 10-15 minutes (or until they are tender and has a nice colour).
- Finely slice the shallots and heat about 1 table spoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Sweat the shallot for about 3-4 minutes on low to medium heat. Add sliced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Sweat for another minute before adding the drained beans.
- Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes (or until they are a little bit softer than when they were added). Add a couple of tablespoons of water while simmering so that they don`t dry out. Use a fork and mash some of the beans in order to create a creamier texture. Stir in grated parmesan and a couple of knobs of butter. Season with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little lemon zest.
- Add the beans to plates and top with the baked pumpkin wedges. Finish off with fresh basil, a drizzle of good olive oil, a pinch of chili flakes and a bit more freshly grated parmesan.
