At the market last weekend, fennel bulbs and pumpkins were everywhere.  That means cold weather is upon us.  June 1st is the official start of winter in Melbourne, although the temperature is still in the pleasant range.

Pumpkins are so versatile: you can boil them, roast them, make sweet or savoury dishes.  They keep well for a long time.  Not only do they taste good, they are packed with goodness of alpha and beta carotene, potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A and E and other nutrients with only 15 cal per 100 grams raw.  And if that is not enough, pumpkin seeds are nature’s wonder food.  Read more about the seeds.

What do I make from pumpkin?  Pumpkin soup, pumpkin gnocchi, pumpkin scones, roasted pumpkins, the list is long.   One of my favourite pumpkin recipes is pumpkin and fennel salad.  There are several version of it, but I like this one with the sesame flavour.  If sesame isn’t the flavour of your choice, omit sesame seeds and oil and add roasted pumpkin seeds.  This healthy vegetarian salad can be eaten warm or cold.  Serve as a side or a light main meal with some freshly baked bread.

Pumpkin and Fennel Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut pumpkin or small Kent pumpkin
• 1 fennel bulb
• Salad leaves of your choice
• 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• A drizzle of sesame oil (omit if using pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and white pepper to taste

To make salad:

1. Cut and peel pumpkin into chunky cubes or slices.  Reserve the seeds (see here for roasting instructions)
2. Roast pumpkin in the oven or cook in a heavy skillet
3. Remove outside layers of fennel bulb and slice thinly on a mandolin (white part only)
4. Mix olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, honey, salt and pepper.  Heat if serving salad warm
5. Arrange salad leaves (I’ve used young rocket, green salad and beetroot leaves)
6. Top with cooked pumpkin and sliced fennel
7. Sprinkle sesame or pumpkin seeds
8. Drizzle with dressing

Bon Appétit!

Sataraš (pronounced sah-tah-rush) is a quick and simple vegetarian recipe very popular in South-Eastern Europe.  It is easy to make and usually prepared during the summer and early autumn days when there are plenty of capsicums (peppers) and ripe tomatoes in the garden.

Sataraš has four main ingredients: brown onions, capsicum (pepper), tomatoes and garlic.  Optional ingredients are eggplant (aubergine), parsley or eggs, but I prefer it in its simplest version.

The best capsicums for sataraš are pale yellow capsicums, also known as Hungarian (on the picture below).  They are very fragrant, have mild taste, thin skin and cook quickly.  If you can’t find them, use yellow or red capsicums.

I’ve recently prepared sataraš from the last batch of autumn crop and can’t wait till the next season.  I don’t like to make it during the winter though when the ingredients are out of season.  Somehow it doesn’t taste right.

The recipe:

For this easy and healthy vegetarian dish you need:

• 2 large brown onions, sliced into wedges
• 10-12 yellow Hungarian, or 4-6 large red capsicums, sliced,
• 3 medium size ripe tomatoes, cut into slices, peeled and deseeded if preferred, but not necessary
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

1.      Put the oil into a large pan over medium heat and add the onions.

2.      Cook the onions until translucent (but not brown) mixing occasionally

3.      Add sliced capsicum, turn the heat up and stir-fry until the capsicum softens, about 3-4 minutes.  Here I added one green capsicum as well.

4.      Add sliced tomatoes, fry for a minute, then cover and lover the heat.  Simmer for further 5 minutes.

5.      Put the sliced garlic into the pan, season with salt and pepper, cover, and give it a couple of minutes for the garlic to cook and to infuse the flavour.

There you are:  simple and healthy vegetarian dish ready in less than 30 minutes!

Serve sataraš with a fresh crusty bread or with rice.  It’s suitable for freezing.