Vegan Scene

I’ve been buying pumpkins repeatedly from the farmers market since they’ve been in season.

The first dish I made was a thick pumpkin and coconut milk  soup. I started by baking the pumpkin for about 40 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius after cutting it in half, placing the halves in a casserole dish (insides facing down), and adding about a quarter of an inch of water  to the dish (to retain moisture inside the pumpkin as it baked). I had a small pumpkin, so I also baked a few sweet potatoes for the soup at the same time. When everything was thoroughly roasted, I scooped the beautiful cooked pumpkin out and mashed it together with the potato. Next,  I added the goop to a pot of sauteed onion and red curry paste. Once it was thoroughly mixed, I added a can of coconut milk and about a cup of water. I let this come to a simmering boil before adding a pile of cooked Wisley Magic beans, which I consider to be a delicacy, and some spinach. I seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. What a delicious way to savor a pumpkin!

adding the beans

...and the spinach

A few days later, we were ready for more roasted gourd, but this time I did not want it mashed into a soup. I wanted to eat it whole and stuffed!

First I made a quinoa stuffing that took only slightly longer to cook than it would to make plain quinoa. It tasted like a tangy white wine (quinoa) risotto. I briefly sauteed onion,fresh oregano, thyme, powdered cumin, and the pumpkin guts I garnered from the halved gourd before roasting. After about 20 minutes (and just in time for my quinoa to boil!) I added the cooked Q, a handful of presoaked raisins, and raw broccoli to the pot. Next, I did something a little bit daring…maybe experimental, but something that ended up creating the flavor for the dish: I got a coffee mug and put a small table spoon of molasses, a big table spoon of miso, a capful of cider vinegar, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and just-boiled water, mixed it, and poured it over the quinoa. I put the lid on the mixture and let it sit on very low heat for a few minutes. Then I got my pumpkins out of the oven, stuffed them up with the mixture, sprinkled some dried parsley over the top, and baked the pumpkin halves for another 20 minutes.

The pumpkin was served with a side of seasoned Wisley Magics and a heap of ginger-beet-tomato salad. I made the salad a day before we consumed it, so it could soften and marinade in the fridge. Besides the three ingredients mentioned, it contained a few capfuls of apple cider vinegar.

It was a great dinner but also a sad dinner because we ate the last portion of Wisley Magic beans growing in the yard. They were truly great beans, being that they were hugely plump and creamy. I don’t think there’s anything in the shop that can replicate them. And that said, I will remember them fondly until I grow the next generation….