Chicken, Pumpkin And Chickpea Curry

Rich, creamy, flavoursome and a little bit seasonal (it's currently autumn/winter). I know this is very similar to a couple of other recipes I’ve posted in the past, but I do love a curry and sometimes changing just a few little things can alter the flavour dramatically.

You will need:
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
3 medium onions, sliced
6 chicken thighs, boned and very roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
3 chillies, finely chopped
2/3 tbsp curry paste*
1 small pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
250ml chicken stock
1 can reduced-fat coconut milk
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

Method:
1. Heat the vegetable oil over low/medium heat in a large saucepan with a lid.
2. Add the onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, until they begin to caramelise.
3. Turn up the heat to medium, add the chicken and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until just coloured.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another minute.
5. Stir in the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly to stop it catching, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
6. Add in the pumpkin, stock and coconut milk, stir, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
7. Add in the chickpeas, stir and continue to cook until the pumpkin is tender.
8. Remove from the heat, stir through the coriander and serve.

Notes:
Serve over rice, with a naan or maybe both (definitely both).

* You can easily substitute with curry powder if you don't have paste.

First Pumpkin Of The Season

First pumpkin of the season, it’s going to taste so good cut in half, seasoned with a good sized pinch of salt and pepper and then simply roasted in a hot oven.

Simple Pumpkin Pie

Another autumnal sweet treat with a few warming spice notes thrown in. This is probably better known as an American classic, traditionally served around Halloween and Thanksgiving, but I've tried to cater it more for my personal tastes by reducing the sugar and ramping up those spices.

You will need:
500g ready made shortcrust pastry (I suck at making pastry so nearly always use ready made)
2 large eggs
75g soft brown sugar
75g granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can (425g) pumpkin puree
1 can (410g) evaporated milk

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
2. Roll out the pastry and use it to line the base of a 9 inch flan tin.
3. Line the pastry with baking paper, fill with baking beans, I don't have baking beans so I used uncooked rice, and bake blind for about 15 minutes until just cooked.
4. In a large bowl lightly beat the eggs together.
5. Mix the sugar and spices, in a small bowl, until thoroughly incorporated. I find pre-mixing the sugar and spices helps prevent the spices from clumping in the eggs.
6. Add the sugar mixture and pumpkin puree to the eggs and stir until well mixed.
7. Gradually stir the evaporated milk into the pumpkin mixture, until the desired colour or consistency is reached, I used about 2/3 of a can.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
9. Pour the filling mixture into the pastry base, return to the oven and bake for a further 35 to 40 minutes.

Notes:
Another great accompaniment to a freshly brewed coffee and a crisp cold evening.

Simple Pumpkin Loaf

A sweet and spicy loaf that is really easy to make and unquestionably autumnal. The pumpkin puree makes for a moist and uniquely flavoured loaf that is a real treat alongside a freshly brewed pot of coffee.

You will need:
250g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g light brown sugar
175g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 can (425g) pumpkin puree

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°c and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
2. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger to a bowl, mix until thoroughly incorporated and set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar until just blended.
4. Add the eggs to the butter mix, one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
5. Add in the pumpkin puree and mix until completely incorporated.
6. Add in the flour and fold through the mixture thoroughly.
7. Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin and bake for about an hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Notes:
This can be eaten warm or cold and is great lightly toasted and buttered.