Halloween Black Rice Risotto Stuffed Pumpkin
Make Halloween extra special with this spooky black rice-stuffed pumpkin recipe! A fun savoury meal or side dish to throw together this Halloween packed full of spooky characters, that tastes delicious too! Featuring ghosts, skulls and jack-o'-lanterns all emerging from a roasted pumpkin cauldron!
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin
- 1 buttercup pumpkin approx 1.25kg
Halloween vegetables
- 8 button mushrooms
- 1 courgette
- 1 eggplant
- 2 garlic cloves lightly smashed
- 1 rosemary sprig + extra to garnish (optional)
- 150 g asparagus cut into 3cm pieces
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Black Rice Risotto
- ½ cup (100g) black rice
- ½ cup (100g) medium grain white rice
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 1 tbsp (2g) dried mixed herbs
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C Bake.
Roasted Pumpkin
- Slice the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and innards. Then place on a lined baking tray and drizzle all over the pumpkin with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the top back on the base of the pumpkin and bake for 1 hour or until the pumpkin is tender.
Halloween vegetables
- Mushroom skulls: use a small sharp knife to create lines in the stem of the mushroom for the teeth of the skull. Then carve out eyes and noses in the base of the mushroom. Set aside the offcuts (to add to the rice risotto)
- Courgette Jack-o'-lanterns: slice courgette into 1cm rounds and cut out eyes, noses and mouths in each slice. Set aside the offcuts (to add to the rice risotto)
- Eggplant Ghosts: slice eggplant in 1cm rounds, cut out ghost shapes, then use a skewer or toothpick to make eyes and mouths for each ghost. Finely chop the leftover offcuts of eggplant and set them aside for later (to use in the rice risotto)
- Once you have shaped all your Halloween vegetables, spread them out evenly on a lined tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the smashed garlic and rosemary, then bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are golden and cooked through.
- Blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for 30 seconds, then grill or pan-fry with some oil for a few minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Black Rice Risotto
- Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrot, celery and reserved offcuts from the mushroom, courgette and eggplant. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add in the dried mixed herbs and cook for a further minute.
- Add another drizzle of oil and then stir in the black and white rice. Allow the rice to toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Slowly add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the rice cook covered for 15- 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the water has absorbed.
Construction
- Transfer the roasted pumpkin onto a large serving platter, then stuff the pumpkin with the black rice risotto. Top with the Halloween vegetables and asparagus. Garnish with extra sprigs of rosemary if desired.
- Serve immediately and enjoy while still hot.