Pumpkins are an indispensable vegetable in the fall, and not just because of Halloween. This seasonal and regional vegetable in the autumn months can enrich our diet in a variety of ways and provides us with important active ingredients for our health, such as beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium and iron.
The variety comes firstly from the different pumpkin varieties and secondly from the countless ways of preparing the pumpkin. Don't be put off by the fact that pumpkin can be a stubborn vegetable when it comes to chopping and peeling.
My tip in this matter is: choose the Hokkaido pumpkin variety, as you can also eat it with the skin on and use a large and very sharp knife to cut it. In the following recipe, the pumpkin has been combined with another autumn vegetable - leek - to make a healthy quinoa vegetable stir-fry. With a little preparation, the recipe is easy to prepare on a daily basis.
Ingredients for 4 people:
Step 1
Prepare the mise en place. To do this, cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Then cut into strips approx. 1 cm wide and chop into small, even pieces.
Wash, halve and finely chop the leek. Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic.
Wash and finely chop the parsley. Pluck the thyme leaves from the sprigs. Finally, wash the lemon in hot water, dry and peel long zests from the lemon peel using a zester.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large pan - I choose a wok pan - over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry a little. Then add the leek and pumpkin together with the herbs and lemon zest. Finally, season with salt and pepper and simmer covered for 20 - 25 minutes until soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Now prepare the quinoa. To do this, rinse the quinoa under cold running water in a sieve. Place in a pan with a little salt and plenty of water. Bring to the boil on the highest setting and then simmer the quinoa on a medium setting for 15 - 20 minutes until it is soft. At the end, sieve off the excess water.
Step 3
Season the softened vegetables with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Carefully mix in the sieved quinoa.
Step 4
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan until they start to pop and sprinkle over the food. Bon apetit!
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