Roasted Pumpkin + Red Cabbage {with a mandarin orange garlic dressing}

I’ve been in a bit of a daze the last couple of days. Days seem to go by without my knowledge. If asked what I’ve been doing all day, I am short on answers. You could say I’m in a bit of a funk. I can get so horribly frozen that literally the simplest tasks seem like brain surgery! And, when I am like this, I tend to lock myself up from the rest of the world. Waiting it out till I defrost. This time however, I have not been short on inspiration. Which is a bit of a contradiction.

See, I’m not making much sense. So, I’ll let this recipe do the talking today. Its an odd combination this one, but don’t be deterred. The pumpkin is deliciously roasted and spiced, mixing so well with its natural sweetness. And the beautiful red cabbage, cooked in apple juice to a little crispy red gorgeousness lending to all the flavors with its slight bitterness. And then on all on top of these wonderful flavors, drizzle the fresh mandarin orange juice tempered with garlic and shallots. The colors are so vibrant that they seem unreal. I did get asked if I had processed the pictures. I swear I didn’t, even as I realise it does look that way. That’s how gorgeous the colors will look on your plate!

Roasted Pumpkin + Red Cabbage {with a mandarin orange garlic dressing}

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Author: boxofspice

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• For the Pumpkin
• 250 grams pumpkin
• 1 tbsp fennel
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• For the Cabbage
• 100 grams red cabbage, cut into thin strips
• 2 - 3 shallots, cut fine
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• ½ cup apple juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 
  
• For the Dressing
• juice of 1 mandarin orange
• 1 shallot, cut fine
• 1 garlic pod, sliced and dry roasted
• 5-6 leaves of fresh mint
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To prepare the pumpkin, preheat oven to 180°C/355°F. Cut the pumpkin in thick slices. Put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle the olive oil, the spices and the salt and pepper. Put the pumpkin in the oven and let bake for 35 minutes till its soft and cooked through. Let cool. Remove the seeds and the skin and cut into cubes. Set aside.
2. For the cabbage, in a pan, cook the chopped shallots in the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start to sputter a little, add the cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the apple juice a little at a time. Cook on medium heat till the juice gets absorbed. Once the cabbage is a little dry, cook on high heat to crisp the cabbage a little. How much you want to crisp it is totally up to you. Set aside.
3. For the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well.
4. For dressing the plate, place the cabbage on a plate and put the roasted pumpkin cubes on top. (Sprinkle any roasted spices from the pumpkin that fell on the baking paper!). Drizzle with dressing and serve hot or cold. Goes very well with rice and grilled chicken.

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