This was hands down my favorite dish that we cooked during my class at the Agrarian Kitchen. A perfect mixture of spicy, savory and sweet, the flavors are rich and complement each other well.
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/3 cup finely chopped preserved lemon skin
280 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
½ medium sized pumpkin (note: if buying in America, go to an Asian market and look for the squat green-skinned pumpkin, not a standard orange American pumpkin.)
300 gm quinoa
100 gm sultanas (raisins)
40 gm fresh coriander, chopped plus extra to serve
20 gm fresh mint, chopped
60 gm flaked almonds, toasted
4 spring onions, chopped
60 ml (1/2) cup lemon juice.
240 gm Greek yogurt, plain
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- In a bowl combine garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil and 1 tsp salt. This is the chermoula, set aside until required.
- Cut the pumpkin into wedges or rounds, leaving the skin intact. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
- Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place on a baking tray cut side up. Road pumpkin until very soft, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa as described on the box, or in a manner similar to how you would cook rice. I prefer to cook with chicken stock added to the water for better flavor. Once cooked, fluff with fork and set aside.
- Soak raisins in 100 ml warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and add to quinoa with remaining oil, herbs, almonds, spring onion, lemon juice and season to taste with sea salt.
- Serve pumpkin warm or at room temperature topped with quinoa, spoonfuls of yogurt, scattered with coriander and a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil.
Natalie's Cook-Nook 