Thursday 28 October 2021

'gemista' Inspired Stuffed Pumpkin

‘Gemista’ inspired stuffed pumpkin

Recipe for 4 adult servings.

1 medium sized pumpkin, ideally kabocha
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium leek, finely sliced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (200g.)basmati rice
2 cups (400ml.) warm water
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp. raisins
2 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
100g. feta cheese, chopped in small cubes

Preheat your oven at 200C.

Cut the top part of your pumpkin and remove all the seeds from the inside. Use a little bit of olive
oil to cover the interior and sprinkle some salt and chilli flakes. Place the pumpkin cut side down
on a pan with some parchment paper. Put the top part on the side as well and bake in the oven for
about 40 min. until the inside of the pumpkin is soft but keeps its shape.

Prepare the rice:
In a medium pot place the olive oil, onion, leek, carrot, garlic, chilli flakes and salt and saute for
about 5 minutes until the onions become soft and translucent.
Add your rice and stir for a few minutes before adding the water, the lemon zest and juice. Keep the
pot on high heat until the rice starts boiling and then reduce the heat to a simmer with a closed lid
until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. This should take about 12-15 min.
Turn the heat off and allow the rice to rest with the lid on for an additional 10 minutes.
Once the rice is a bit cooler, add the pine nuts, the fresh herbs and most of the feta cheese.
Once the pumpkin is cooked, fill it with the rice and return to the oven for another 10 min. until
you get some nice browning and crunch on top.
Serve on a large plate and cut it in four individual servings. Top with some extra herbs, pine nuts
and cheese.

Enjoy!