Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Roasted Pumpkin and Apple Slices with Maple Syrup

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Roasted Pumpkin and Apple Slices with Maple Syrup

My friend Shera gave me some small sugar pumpkins from her garden. My favorite way to prepare fresh pumpkin is not making pie (although I love pumpkin pie!) but roasting. I used to carefully peel the pumpkins before cooking but I recently learned that this is not necessary. The skin softens and kind of melts into the flesh after a good long roast. This saves a step...adds fiber to the dish...and adds a delicious earthiness to whatever else you are serving.

Today I roasted pumpkin with tart apples and added toasted walnuts and a spiced maple syrup sauce to the warm vegetables. Delicious! Perfect as a side dish with roast chicken or pork chops. Lovely served on top of greens or chopped and added to pizza or pasta with gorgonzola cheese. I think this dish would be a wonderful addition to Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner. Thoughts? Enjoy...

Roasted Pumpkin and Apple Slices with Maple Syrup
1 small sugar pumpkin, about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs
3 green apples (preferably Granny Smith), cored cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup unsalted walnut halves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. With a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half. Cut off the stem and discard. Scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers. (I use a heavy spoon or ice cream scoop for this). Reserve the seeds and roast later for pepitas. Place each half cut side down and carefully cut the pumpkin into wedges about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the wedges in half width wise. Place on prepared baking sheets and drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil for each pan. Sprinkle with a tsp each salt and pepper for each pan and roast in oven for 30 minutes. Add the apple slices to the pans and roast an additional 20-30 minutes. The pumpkin and apples should be soft and golden brown in spots. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the walnut halves to a dry skillet. Toast over medium high heat just until nuts start to turn golden brown, stirring frequently. (When you begin to smell the nuts, they are probably ready.) Remove from heat, cool slightly, and coarsely chop.

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, small pinch of salt, maple syrup and 1/4 cup olive oil to small skillet used for nuts. Warm over low heat, stirring to combine. Set aside.

Place pumpkin and apples on large serving platter. Scatter nuts over top. Pour maple syrup mixture over pumpkin mixture coating evenly. Serve hot or warm.

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