My boyfriend was away this weekend just gone so we didn't get to go to any Halloween parties together, however he was home in time for actual All Hallows Eve on Monday. So I decided to celebrate with a special themed meal and a scary movie.
A Sublime Halloween Menu
Starter:
Bloody Mary Soup with Horseradish Cream
Main:
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mini Pumpkin with Warm Lentil Salad
Bloody Mary Soup with Horseradish Cream
Main:
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mini Pumpkin with Warm Lentil Salad
Bloody Mary Soup with Horseradish Cream
Makes about 5 servings
1kg ripe tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
Half a red onion
A splash of olive oil
A splash of olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
A mug of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Bullion Powder to make my stock)
A mug of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Bullion Powder to make my stock)
A glug of Tabasco
A glug Worcestershire Sauce (I used a vegetarian variety that I found in Waitrose)
4 or 5 capfuls of vodka
2 tablespoons Quark (Quark is an amazing 0% fat cream cheese, it is great in cooking but you can always use double cream if you can't find it)
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Roughly chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Add in the leaves from the thyme - be careful not to include any woody stalks.
Chop the tomatoes into quarters and add to the pan. I think life is too short for peeling tomatoes, but if you want to, do this before you add them. Cook for about 5-10 minutes over a high heat until the tomatoes start to soften and break down.
Add in the mug of stock.
Blend with a stick blender until smooth.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add in the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and vodka to taste (I like it hot so went a bit crazy with the Tabasco), season to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the Quark and horseradish sauce together.
Divide the soup into bowls and soon the horseradish cream into the centre of each serving.
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mini Pumpkin with Warm Lentil Salad
Pumpkins serves 2, the lentil salad makes roughly 4 servings (I like to have leftovers for lunches)
2 Miniature pumpkins (Called Munchkins apparently) or acorn squashes. I used acorn squash as they only had one Munchkins left in the shop.
A drizzle of olive oil
1 tub of Ricotta
2 handfuls of frozen spinach
half a red onion
1 clove of garlic
Roughly 10-15 fresh sage leaves shredded
Some grated nutmeg
For the Lentil Salad
250g dried brown lentils
1 red onion
A small bunch of Dill
A splash of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
Half a mug of vegetable stock
Cut the tops off the pumpkins and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Drizzle the inside with olive oil, place the tops back on and bake in a hot pre-heated oven (my oven was at gas mark 7) for 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, my oven needs to be really hot, yours might not need to be, don't burn them!
While they are cooking put the lentils in a large pan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes or until they are tender.
Fry the onion in a little olive oil and when the add in the cooked lentils. Add the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar and vegetable stock. Stir to combine the ingredient together. Chop in the dill and simmer. You want the stock to reduce down so the lentils have a coating of tomato sauce but aren't to runny - should take about 10 minutes.
To make the stuffing for the pumpkin fry the onion and garlic in a pan until soft. Add in the sage leaves and then the frozen spinach and cook down until it has thawed. Grate in nutmeg to taste, add all of the ricotta, stir and season to taste.
5 minutes before the pumpkins are finishes, take them out of the oven, add in the stuffing and them return to the oven to finish cooking.
To serve place the lentil salad on the plate and then top with one stuffed pumpkin.
Of course this was all served up with a large helping of horror movie in the shape of The Beyond. A classic Italian Giallo Horror from 1981. It was incredibly gory!
Happy Halloween.
Cx
2 tablespoons Quark (Quark is an amazing 0% fat cream cheese, it is great in cooking but you can always use double cream if you can't find it)
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Roughly chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Add in the leaves from the thyme - be careful not to include any woody stalks.
Chop the tomatoes into quarters and add to the pan. I think life is too short for peeling tomatoes, but if you want to, do this before you add them. Cook for about 5-10 minutes over a high heat until the tomatoes start to soften and break down.
Add in the mug of stock.
Blend with a stick blender until smooth.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add in the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and vodka to taste (I like it hot so went a bit crazy with the Tabasco), season to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the Quark and horseradish sauce together.
Divide the soup into bowls and soon the horseradish cream into the centre of each serving.
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mini Pumpkin with Warm Lentil Salad
Pumpkins serves 2, the lentil salad makes roughly 4 servings (I like to have leftovers for lunches)
2 Miniature pumpkins (Called Munchkins apparently) or acorn squashes. I used acorn squash as they only had one Munchkins left in the shop.
A drizzle of olive oil
1 tub of Ricotta
2 handfuls of frozen spinach
half a red onion
1 clove of garlic
Roughly 10-15 fresh sage leaves shredded
Some grated nutmeg
For the Lentil Salad
250g dried brown lentils
1 red onion
A small bunch of Dill
A splash of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
Half a mug of vegetable stock
Cut the tops off the pumpkins and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Drizzle the inside with olive oil, place the tops back on and bake in a hot pre-heated oven (my oven was at gas mark 7) for 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, my oven needs to be really hot, yours might not need to be, don't burn them!
While they are cooking put the lentils in a large pan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes or until they are tender.
Fry the onion in a little olive oil and when the add in the cooked lentils. Add the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar and vegetable stock. Stir to combine the ingredient together. Chop in the dill and simmer. You want the stock to reduce down so the lentils have a coating of tomato sauce but aren't to runny - should take about 10 minutes.
To make the stuffing for the pumpkin fry the onion and garlic in a pan until soft. Add in the sage leaves and then the frozen spinach and cook down until it has thawed. Grate in nutmeg to taste, add all of the ricotta, stir and season to taste.
5 minutes before the pumpkins are finishes, take them out of the oven, add in the stuffing and them return to the oven to finish cooking.
To serve place the lentil salad on the plate and then top with one stuffed pumpkin.
Of course this was all served up with a large helping of horror movie in the shape of The Beyond. A classic Italian Giallo Horror from 1981. It was incredibly gory!
Happy Halloween.
Cx
8 comments:
Those mini pumpkins look absolutely amazing! Must try this recipe, looks yummy.
Emily x
Oh yum, this is right up my street!
The little pumpkins are so cute. Yummy!
Those mini pumpkins look amazing. I tried to cook mine in the microwave and it exploded and made a terrible mess. I wish I had the cooking skills to make your recipe instead! x
The mini pumpkins are so cute! Can I come for dinner please lol. :) x
oooh baby pumpkins! they look lush.
This looks amazing! I have bookmarked this to make very soon :)
Maria xxx
Oh wow, these look amazing, especially the stuffed pumpkins!
I love rading about other bloggers' food exploits, as I'm terrible at cooking generally and it's nice ot get inspiration to be more adventurous!
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