Pumpkin and feta casserole with pine nuts

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• ½ Hokkaido pumpkin(s) or another pumpkin variety
• 1 pack of feta cheese
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• some salt
• some pepper, preferably black
• e.g. nutmeg or ginger
• possibly chili

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

quick, vegetarian dinner

For this recipe, the pumpkin needs to be lightly pre-cooked. To do this, I cut the Hokkaido pumpkin into four large pieces, remove the seeds, and place it in the oven at 150°C for about half an hour. I don’t watch the clock exactly, but pierce it every now and then and take it out again when it’s not too hard anymore. I use half for this recipe, and the other half (after cooling) goes into the refrigerator and is consumed within the next two days. This makes it much easier to cut the pumpkin into small pieces. For this dish, the (pre-cooked) pumpkin and feta are diced; the size doesn’t matter—I prefer pieces about 2 cm in size. The cubes are placed in the baking dish with the olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. This recipe can be easily varied depending on the spices you use. Personally, I find nutmeg and ginger go very well with pumpkin. If you like it a little spicier, you can also add a bit of chili. Mix the ingredients in the casserole dish thoroughly to ensure the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed. Finally, sprinkle the pine nuts on top, using less than 2 tablespoons depending on your taste. The whole thing then goes a little lower in the oven at 180°C for 30-45 minutes. Check regularly and remove the pine nuts and feta as soon as they start to brown. The transition from “toasted golden brown” to “crispy and blackened” can happen quite quickly. Serve with baguette, for example. A fresh salad would also be a good accompaniment.