By Gennaro Contaldo – Prep/Cook time: 1hr, Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Delica pumpkin (approx. 1.5kg)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
Needles from 2 small sprigs rosemary (finely chopped)
Leaves from 4 sprigs thyme (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (diced)
½ red chili (finely chopped)
1 small red onion (finely chopped)
2 carrots – 1 finely chopped, the other sliced in half lengthways
1 small parsnip (finely chopped)
1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
½ leek (finely chopped)
½ cup chestnut mushrooms (roughly chopped)
¾ cup spelt
¼ cup walnuts (roughly chopped)
75ml white wine
½ tbsp tomato purée (paste)
3 cups hot vegetable stock (or use a stock cube)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the top of the Delica pumpkin to create a ‘lid.’ Scoop out the seeds and discard them. If any pumpkin flesh comes loose, roughly chop it and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the herbs, garlic, chili, onion, chopped carrot, parsnip, celery, leek, mushrooms, and any reserved pumpkin flesh. Cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the spelt and walnuts, then increase the heat. Add the white wine and cook until fully absorbed. Stir in the tomato purée, followed by a ladleful of hot stock, stirring well until absorbed. Continue adding stock gradually, as you would with risotto, for about 15 minutes until the spelt is fully cooked.
Drizzle a little olive oil into a roasting tin, then place the halved carrot inside and set the Delica pumpkin on top—this prevents sticking. Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, then fill it with the spelt mixture. Cover with the pumpkin ‘lid’ and roast for 1 hour.
After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and let it cook flesh-side up.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
