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With half a pumpkin sitting in the fridge I searched the net for ideas. I stumbled upon this warm pumpkin and chick pea salad with tahini, and was inspired!
Firstly I chopped pumpkin, green pepper and courgette into a roasting dish. I added oil, chili flakes, grated nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, and then put in to the oven.
Meanwhile in a large bowl I added half a chopped red onion and a drained tin of chick peas.
Once the veggies were soft, I added them to the chick pea mixture and stirred well. This mixture was then spooned onto a bed of simple salad (spinach, tomato, cucumber and lettuce).
For a tahini sauce, I added a tablespoon of tahini and crushed garlic clove to about 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt. Stir well, and add lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is too thick/strong, dilute with further yogurt. Spoon the sauce over the salad & serve with some tasty breads.
Absolutely delicious if I do say so myself. Though the raw onion / garlic combo does mean no snogging immediately after :)
So we were a day late eating our pumpkin, due to a spooky trip here.
Back home, in the cosy warm and brandishing a sharp(ish) knife I attempted to carve the pumpkin. Realising that a) my knife is a bit blunt, b) I am not that strong, and c) this was one tough cookie (or should I say pumpkin), I concentrated on dinner instead. For a pumpkin and halloumi pasty, in a roasting dish with a little oil went chopped pumpkin, red pepper and leek. Seasoned with fresh rosemary, paprika and pepper. Off in the oven. Meanwhile I rolled out puff pastry into two rectangles and greased a baking tray.
Once the veggies were soft, I spooned them onto the pastry, added some chopped halloumi and then covered with pastry, scrunching up the edges, like a Cornish pasty.
Put in the oven until golden & then scoff!!!
It's autumn, it's a bit chilly, all the more reason to create a big casserole of veggies & lentils to warm the cockles of you heart.
In an ovenproof dish add lots of chopped onions, carrots, leeks, swede, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes (and anything else you have to hand). In a colander rinse a handful or two of red lentils, and then add to the pot. Make up some vegetable stock (I used a trusty veggie oxo cube), and pour into dish until all the veggies are covered. Add some herbs (parsley & rosemary work well here) and season. Put in the oven (about 180 degrees Celsius) for a couple of hours. During this time relax & put your feet up. When everything is soft and the lentils cooked, it is ready to serve! I served this with some veggie sausages (thank you Linda McCartney!). Vary the veg, herbs and pulses as desired. If you have lots of liquid left after serving, use this as a flavoursome soup base the following day. Enjoy!
When I think of French & Scottish cuisine, vegetarianism isn't the first thing that springs to mind. So I was curious when I heard of L'Artichaut in Edinburgh, and had to make an excuse to pop across to the capital.
Edinburgh is a vegetarians delight, with restaurants a plenty (David Bann, Black Bo's, Hendersons to name a few). L'Artichaut is in the new town on Eyre Place,we arrived just as it opened for the evening at six, and being the first people there, joked about why did we bother to book. However by the time we left the place was packed. The details are perfect, Tim Stead chairs, bespoke ceramics and artichoke paintings covering the walls.
The food was delicious, focusing on vegetable flavours rather than meat substitutes. To start I enjoyed a Guacamole and salsa verrine (like a terrine but vertical!) whilst Mister Strawberry had beetroot croquettes, golden on the outside and bright pink in the middle!
Continuing my quest to get to grips with aubergine, I had roasted aubergine topped with goat's cheese for a main, whilst my companion had ratatouille filled beef tomato, with polenta chips. Note to self, need to experiment with polenta, as it was very tasty indeed. Dessert was a sharp lemon tart for me & lime and pink peppercorn meringues for him. Delicious! I did forget to take photos of all our courses, as I was too busy eating! I was glad to see the festive menu being advertised, and can't wait for an excuse to pop across to fill up on food! L'Artichaut adds to Edinburgh's thriving veggie scene, bringing a Gallic twist! Vive l'artichaut!
This made me chuckle, though I did feel slightly bad taking a picture at the local fruit & veg shop. Luckily I didn't get caught doing it.
Back to the food, this is of course, a swede. However in Scotland they tend to call both a turnip & a swede, a turnip. Very confusing, especially when you start throwing in the term 'neeps' too! Fortunately this article straightens it all out, or does it?
Cold days require soup, tasty thick soup served with crusty bread. In the shops today I found some reduced mint - perfect for pea soup! 
So here is some Pea, Potato, Leek & Mint soup. 
In a large saucepan soften the onion and leeks in oil. 
Then add the stock, potatoes, black pepper, chopped mint and peas, and bring to the boil.
Once the potatoes are soft, blend until smooth. Serve with a dollop of cream & enjoy the warm cosiness!
