Baked Pumpkin with Garlic Yogurt
This is a recipe full of memories. A first date with the man who would become my husband 20 years later, but that's another story! A restaurant that we loved in Chicago that eventually moved to Baltimore. Early days of being a vegetarian. Kaddo Bowrani is an Afghan dish on the menu of the Helmand restaurant and I always ordered it during the years the restaurant was in Chicago. I have always loved that dish. This recipe is based on my memory of such flavors that I had to adapt it for a plant based diet. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the pumpkin!
Preheat the oven to 375˚
Starting in the center of the pumpkin, insert a sharp knife using pressure and cut towards the bottom of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Use a large spoon to remove the seeds. Cut off the stem and bottom. Peel. Cut the flesh into large pieces, 2″ to 3″ in size.
Place the pumpkin in a large rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle the pumpkin with the cinnamon, salt and Aleppo pepper. Cover with lid or foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Test doneness with a fork and continue cooking for 15 more minutes, if necessary.
For yogurt sauce – Combine both non-dairy yogurts, garlic, and salt together in a small bowl. Let the sauce come to room temperature while the pumpkin is baking
To serve – Place 2-3 pieces of pumpkin on a small plate. Drizzle with 1 – 2 tbsp of maple cream and top with the garlic yogurt sauce.
serves 4-6
PUMPKIN
- 1 small pie pumpkin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
- ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper
YOGURT SAUCE
- 1 5.3 oz container Coyo natural coconut yogurt
- 1 5.3 oz container Kite Hill plain yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
FOR SERVING
- ½ cup maple cream