5 quirky pumpkin recipes to try this fall

Chef Dhruv Oberoi from Olive Bar and Kitchen, Delhi, shares five delicious pumpkin recipes to enjoy spooky season

It’s officially the best time of the year. With fall in full swing and cultural boundaries blurring, Halloween is one western celebration that has managed to capture the enthusiasm of its Indian audience. This is the time of year when families come together to look for the perfect pumpkin to carve into a scary or funny Jack-o-Lantern. Everyone brings their own flair to the project. The end of summer is marked by the glorious spectrum of colours and shapes of the prized orange vegetable.

In the spirit of Halloween, we’ve rounded up some of the best pumpkin recipes that you can recreate at home.

1. Pumpkin Cracker Chipotle Cacao Mole

Buckwheat flour - 250gms

Rice Flour - 200gms

Roasted Pumpkin Puree - 100gms

Olive Oil - 100gms

Rosemary (chopped) - 1 sprig

Sea Salt - ¼ teaspoon

Paprika - ¼ teaspoon

> Knead to a dough, roll into thin sheets and bake it at 160

degrees for 25 mins

> Spread the chocolate mole over and serve crisp

Chocolate Mole

Dark Chocolate (70%) - 150 gms

Roasted Garlic - 10 gms

Chipotle Chilli in Adobo - 25 gms

Sea salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Paprika - 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin (powder) - 1/4 teaspoon

Sherry vinegar - 10 ml

Olive oil - 50 gms

> Blend all things together to a smooth paste

2. Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake

Cream Cheese

Sugar

Whole eggs

Heavy cream

Sea salt

Vanilla essence

Refined flour

Pumpkin seeds

Roasted pumpkin and honey puree

> Blend all the ingredients together

> Bake it in a cake tin for 60 -65 minutes at 400 degrees F

3. Juniper Roast Pumpkin with Barley Risotto

Pumpkin cubes

Juniper honey

Sea salt

Black pepper

Paprika

> Marinate pumpkin in all the other ingredients and roast it at 180

degrees for 15 mins

> Serve hot with barley risotto

Barley risotto

Boiled barley

Garlic

Onion

White wine

Buttermilk

Parmesan

> Saute onion garlic in olive oil and deglaze with wine

> Add butter milk and cook barley in the emulsion

> Finish with parmesan, salt and pepper

4. Pumpkin and Bergamot Ravioli

Pasta sheet

Semola - 400 gms

Refined flour - 100 gms

Egg yolk - 420 gms

Olive oil - 25ml

Salt - 10 gms

Parmesan cheese - 25 gms

> Knead dough, rest for 2 hours, stuff with the chevre

stuffing

Stuffing

Goat cheese - 200 gms

Chives - 10 gms

Bergamot essence - 4 drops

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

> Mix to a homogenised mixture

Sauce

Butter - 25 gms

Parmesan cheese - 50 gms

Chives - 5 gms

Vegetable stock - 100 ml

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

> Make an emulsion by bringing all the ingredients

together

5. Scallop with Pumpkin and Leh Berry

Marinated Scallop

Scallop

Thyme leaves

Olive oil

Lemon zest

Sea salt

> Marinate scallop in the marinade made with rest of the ingredients

> Sear scallop to golden brown crust and served with warm pumpkin puree and pickled pumpkin

Pickled pumpkin

Pumpkin shavings

Water

Apple cider vinegar

Honey

Sea salt

Fresh red chilli

> Pickle mixture in the brine made with the rest of the ingredients and pickle for 1 day.

Puree

Roasted pumpkin puree

Leh berry

Manchego cheese (grated)

White wine

Garlic chopped

Olive oil

Thyme

Bayleaf

Fresh red chilies

> Saute garlic thyme bay leaf and red chilies in olive oil

> Deglaze with wine and add pumpkin puree and manchego cheese

> Blend with fresh Leh berry into a thin puree