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Garden to Plate: Simon Gault’s miniature pumpkins

These pumpkins may be small, but they’ve got big potential.
Simon Gault pumpkin

Pumpkin is essential in the kitchen when the cooler months hit. It’s so incredibly versatile and is a great vegetable for the whole family to enjoy. It may take a fair bit of patience, but the results are worth the wait.

We have been growing these miniature Jack Be Little pumpkins in the garden, and even our baby girl Hazel is enjoying them.

We’re roasting and pureeing them up for her, but like the squash puree I talked about a few weeks ago, I have to resist any urge to add seasoning! It’s strictly pumpkin au naturel for her.

For the adults, a bit of salt, olive oil and herbs rubbed into the pumpkin before roasting or pan-frying is simply delicious.

All the herbs we have growing in the garden right now make great seasoning partners – particularly the rosemary, thyme and sage. As long as you work with these classic combinations, you can’t really go wrong.

There’s a multitude of ways to serve pumpkin, but here are my top three:

  1. Lately, my favourite way to serve pumpkin is to pan-fry it with fresh sage and thyme from the garden. I’ll chop the pumpkin into small pieces, add a little oil and the fresh herbs. The combination of sage, thyme and pumpkin is simply delicious.

  2. Roast up your pumpkin to make a great, tasty dip. After roasting, use a stick blender or food processor and blitz it with some cream cheese and Indian seasoning. The great thing about this dip is you can heat it up and use it as a puree, or you can serve it cool as a dip with corn chips or crackers.

  3. Pumpkin soup is a classic. I’ve made a number of different variations over the years. I love to make duet soups – one of rosemary butternut and the other of peppered potato – then serve them together in the same bowl. I pour them so they flow towards each other, but they stay separate in the bowl. It’s a great combination of flavours. One of my all-time favourites is an Indian spiced soup. I’ll let you be the judge.

Indian Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Creamy and delightful, a good pumpkin soup is heaven in a bowl. By combining a little Indian seasoning and rich, hearty chicken or vegetable stock, this soup will sing!

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 200g onions, finely chopped

  • 500g buttercup pumpkin, peeled and chopped

  • 600ml chicken or vegetable stock

  • 20g Indian seasoning

  • 100ml fresh cream

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 50g crème fraîche

  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

  • Crusty French stick

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, add oil and heat until it begins to simmer. Add the onions and cook until translucent.

  2. Add the pumpkin and cook for a further 3 minutes.

  3. Pour in the stock, then add the Indian seasoning and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.

  4. Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Return to the heat, add the cream and bring to the boil.

  5. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix in a little more Indian seasoning for a stronger flavour, if you wish.

  6. Serve with crème fraîche, chopped fresh parsley and Indian seasoning on top. Accompany with crusty bread.

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