Kaddo Bowrani Baked Pumpkin From The Helmand Restaurant In Baltimore Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Cut the pumpkins in half through the stem end, and cut out the long stringy fibers.
• Cut each pumpkin half into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• There should be about 8 pieces from each pumpkin.
• Using a vegetable peeler, pare the rind from the pumpkins, digging the peeler down a little to remove more than just the superficial layer of rind.
• Place the pumpkin pieces hollow sides up in a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Coat both sides of the pieces, using all of the oil.
• Pour all the sugar evenly over the pieces.
• Cover the pan.
• Bake the pumpkins until the color turns darker orange and becomes nearly translucent, and the texture is extremely tender, about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
• Baste the pieces once with the pan juices after 2 1/2 hours of baking.
• The Yogurt Sauce: Stir together the yogurt, garlic, mint and salt.
• Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
• Just before serving, taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Yields 2 cups sauce.
• For each serving: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce onto a plate.
• Using the back of the spoon, spread the sauce a little.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove 2 pieces of the pumpkin from the pan and center them on the sauce.
• Add more sauce to taste.

Steps:

• Set the oven at 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Scoop out the seeds and fibers from the middle of the pumpkin or butternut squash. Slice the flesh into thin segments, each about 1cm thick. Lay the pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Trickle over the olive oil and season with black pepper, then bake for about thirty minutes, until soft and translucent.
• In a dry frying pan, mix the coriander and cumin and toast over a low to moderate heat for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and continue toasting for about five minutes, stirring regularly until all is golden.
• Stir in the thyme and salt, then grind the mixture using a pestle and mortar, cracking the seeds roughly. Keep the mixture rough and knobbly. Fold in the nigella seeds and pistachios. Break open the pomegranate and remove the seeds.
• When the pumpkin comes from the oven, scatter over the pomegranate seeds, about half the spice and seed mixture and serve. Store the remaining mixture in a jar until needed.