Prepping everything from pumpkin pies to party platters.
By GUS
#33512
pisto, which is Spanish for ratatouille.

There are many versions, but this one is great with grilled pork chops, chicken or lamb, or as a vegetarian main course with a salad and maybe some yoghurt on the side.

We make it with a mixture of butternut squash, which is a good all-rounder, and iron bark and starchy kabocha squash, so that you have different flavours and textures.

The husband-and-wife team Sam (Samantha) and Sam (Samuel) Clark are the chef-proprietors of Moro (moro.co.uk), famous for its Spanish, North African and Eastern Mediterranean food. Their East London allotment was made famous in their third book, Moro East.

Ingredients

Serves 4

800g peeled and seeded pumpkin or squash (roughly 1.2kg weight before preparation), cut into 2cm chunks

½ tsp fine sea salt 6 tbsp olive oil

1½ large or 3 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1cm chunks

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 bay leaves, preferably fresh

1½ tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, a few grates of nutmeg

½ tsp ground cumin

12 tbsp (180ml) passata

2 tbsp sweet red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon (or use any good-quality red wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar), mixed with 4 tbsp of water

2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Method

1. Toss the pumpkin with the salt and set aside. In a wide saucepan (about 30cm), heat the olive oil over a medium heat, then add the onions with a pinch of salt. Stir well and cook, stirring often, for 15-20 min until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelise.

2. Now add the chopped red pepper, fry for a further 10 min, then follow with the garlic, bay leaves and rosemary.

3. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, before adding the pumpkin (blotted dry if wet). Reduce the heat and fry for 20 min, until the pumpkin is barely tender, turning it every now and then. Add the oregano or marjoram, nutmeg and cumin, followed by the passata.

4. Cook for 5-10 min, until the pumpkin is completely tender, then sprinkle with the vinegar and water, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve warm, with the toasted pine nuts on top.
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By Nikki
#39781
Oregano and Onions?! I'm there..
I will copy this down and give it a try sometime soon :)
Thanks for sharing it with us Gus!