Lachie Strachan’s recipe for miso and maple roasted pumpkin

Miso & Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Toasted Walnuts

Who said BBQs were just for meat?

This pumpkin recipe is sure to please with a mixture of sweet, savoury & nutty flavours.

I like to use it as a side dish or you can quite easily turn it into a main vegetarian dish by adding some fresh rocket, feta & charred corn.

The Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 Jap/Kent pumpkin- approx. 1kg
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3⁄4 cup walnuts
• Fresh parsley leaves, to garnish

Method:

1: Prepare your BBQ for indirect cooking, Around 190-230 degrees Celsius. If using a Weber Q BBQ setup with a convection tray & roasting trivet.

2: Deseed the pumpkin and cut into 4cm thick wedges. In a small bowl combine the miso, maple syrup, sesame oil, salt, pepper & cinnamon. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the miso ingredients over the walnuts, toss to coat and set aside until required. Pour the remaining miso dressing over the pumpkin slices.

3: Roast the pumpkin wedges with the lid closed for 40-60 minutes, or until softened. Reserve any of the leftover miso liquid from the dish and brush on the pumpkin halfway through. When there is 20 minutes remaining of the roasting time, place the walnuts on a small square of foil, folding up the sides to create a small boat in the indirect cooking zone. (Do not put over direct heat as they will burn)

Continue to roast until the walnuts are golden and toasted and the pumpkin is cooked through.

4: Serve the pumpkin wedges with the walnuts on top and garnish with parsley.