Pumpkin Agroldoce

So what do you have as a side dish? A while ago I  found that I was in a bit of a rut. Side dishes usually involved steamed broccoli or cauliflower, frozen pea/corn/carrot mix heated in the microwave, mashed potatoes etc. It was all pretty standard and... boring... for want of a better word. I decided that I really needed to make some new side dishes. I have discovered some wonderful things on other blogs. The Little Teochew's Spicy Tamarind Potatoes are a definite favourite. As is Nami-nami's Beetroot and Potato Salad and Chocolate & Zucchini's Zucchini & Mushroom Crumble. All of which have been made several times now along with a few other thing that I will post over the next few days. 

The pumpkin agroldoce recipe comes from April 2007 issue of Delicious magazine. It was part of a feature on the launch of the Dutch edition of Delicious magazine and the opening of Jamie's Fifteen restaurant in Amsterdam. I was really pleased with how this turned out. It was sweet and tangy with just the right amount of spice for me. I normally just roast pumpkin, or turn it into pies. I do occasionally add it in with mashed potato but this was just so good and really complemented the roast lamb that it was served with. I also served it with sautéed spinach and Jamie Oliver's Jerusalem artichokes sautéed with bay leaves & garlic a nice change from your standard fare with a roast dinner. I would definitely make it all again, in fact I have some pumpkin in the fridge screaming out for something lovely to be made out of it. Oh and the left overs are fantastic chopped up as a topping for pizza.

Pumpkin Agrodolce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 dried chilli, crumbled 
• 2 red onions, slice into rings 
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 6 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped 
• 1/2 c raisins (I wouldn't bother next time) 
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar 
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tsp brown sugar 
• 800 g pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed and chopped into chunks (I didn't peel) 
• 1/3 c pine nuts, toasted (I don't like them so didn't use them)

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 160 C.
• Combine all ingredients, except pumpkin & pine nuts, in a large bowl. Add pumpkin & toss to coat well. 
• Spread on a large baking tray, season with salt & pepper and roast for 50 - 60 minutes. 
• Remove from oven, cover with foil and rest 20 minutes, then toss with pine nuts.