Cute mini pumpkin with creamy puree and mushrooms
This stuffed mini pumpkin will bring you right into the Autumn spirit. It has all the warmth and nuttiness you can expect in an autumn dish. Easy, with minimal ingredients, and easy to adjust.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
🥘 Main ingredients
- mini pumpkins
- wild rice
- button mushrooms
- chanterelles mushrooms
- porcini mushroom
- chestnuts
- garlic
- shallot
- truffle oil
- olive oil
- white wine
- plant based milk
- herbs for decoration
It would be great if you can get all these lovely ingredients fresh from your area, but if not, don’t be afraid to substitute with your local produce.
💭 Variations and tips
Pumpkins, chestnuts, and mushrooms are a beautiful combination. They give warm, nutty and sweet flavours. Who doesn’t like that on a rainy autumn day? Together they create very comforting dishes. On top of that a pumpkin is very nutritious. Especially rich in vitamin A, which helps us with our immune system. Which is exactly what we need during the autumn months.
The recipe is made with minimalistic ingredients, but for some variation ideas;
- Add herbs, I haven’t used herbs in this recipe, but you can add herbs to the rice and/or puree. Chives, Parsley, or tarragon in the puree, but when using tarragon make sure not to use too many other added flavours. Or add parsley to your mushroom mixture, add at the same time as the garlic.
- Add any Nuts or seeds, this is a very ‘nutty’ autumn dish, you can easily add some extra nuts or seeds. Sprinkle some walnuts over the dish, or some roasted pumpkin seeds. This will add a nice roasted flavour, and as well a nice crunch to the dish.
- I have used my local Carmague rice, but as I know this is not available everywhere, look for the best wild and slightly nutty rice you can get. You can spice up your puree a little bit with Espelette, which gives a nice ‘warm heat’ without making it really spicy.
If you are a pumpkin lover like me, have a look at some of my other pumpkin recipes. Like the pumpkin and chestnut soup. And just recently I made a delicious pumpkin risotto (no rice), I will upload the recipe soon on this site.
🍷 Wine pairing
This dish is strong in umami flavours because of the use of various mushrooms, this normally could match well with a Pinot noir from burgundy. Preferably an aged pinot noir in which they mushroom aromas have evolved. If you do prefer to go for a white, it will have to be a fuller bodied white, like a age oaked Chardonnay or a Pinot gris from the Alsace region.
Please make sure to add @haricoco1 to your Instagram photos, and let me know about your own creations of this dish. I always LOVE to see your photos and ideas. This dish has endless possibilities to work with. Enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 mini pumpkins jack be little
- 100 grams (½ cup) wild rice or any prefered rice
- 2 large white button mushrooms
- 12 chanterelles mushrooms
- 1 porcini mushroom
- 10 boiled chestnuts chopped
- 2 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 Tablespoon truffle oil
- 3 Tablespoon olive oil
- splash of white wine
- splash of plant based milk
- a few salad or herbs leaves for decoration
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- First prepare the mini pumpkins by cutting their top off and roasting them in foil for approx. 35 – 40 minutes (check if the flesh is cooked by pricking it)
- After cooling down, carefully scoop out all of the pumpkins flesh, while leaving the pumpkin intact
- Brush all the mushrooms clean, and cut chanterelles in halves, buttons in quarters, and porcini in nice slices
- Boil the wild rice according instructions on the package.
For the puree;
- Heat a small frying pan , add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sauté the shallot and 1 garlic (approx 3 min).
- Add the chopped chestnuts, the flesh of the pumpkin and give it a good stir.
- Cool down and puree into a mash, you can use a stick blender for this.
- If you find the puree too thick add a splash of your favourite plant based milk.
- Season with salt and pepper.
For the mushrooms;
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, and add all the mushrooms while the oil is not too hot yet, sprinkle some sea salt over them and turn the heat to high. Stir fry them for a couple of minutes on high heat.
- Add 1 clove of chopped garlic and fry for another minute.
- Add a splash of white wine and turn off the heat.
Finish your dish;
- By drizzling the truffle oil over the boiled wild rice and fill your mini pumpkin with the rice.
- Put half of the puree on one plate and top with half of the mixed mushrooms.
- Add some green salad leaves to add colour and a little crunch.
