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The pumpkin harvest is fair recompense for the end of summer. Adequate consolation for the shorter days and the bedraggled veg patch. More than adequate in fact.
For me, the day I pick the winter squash is one of the most joyful in the gardening year. I brush them clean and arrange them in rows in the greenhouse to ‘cure’ for a few days. I survey the lines of orange, green and azure blue jewels and feel like a squirrel preparing for hibernation. And, in a sense, I am stocking up for the long evenings, gathering the last of the harvest ready for a cold winter of soups and stews.
But before that there is clearing up to do. It’s hard, messy, hand-chilling work that requires sustenance. Something hearty to fuel the compost turning, pruning and leaf raking. Like this rich and filling cheese on toast.
Pumpkin and sage rarebit recipe
Serves 1, generously
Ingredients:
250g winter squash, de-seeded and peeled
1 clove garlic, whole and unpeeled
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
15g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
Up to 100ml whole milk
4 sage leaves, finely chopped
50g cheddar cheese, grated
2 thick slices crusty sourdough
Method:
Cut the squash into 2cm cubes and toss in the olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray and nestle the unpeeled garlic clove in amongst the squash. Roast at 200C for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and a little crispy.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a low-medium heat, then add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking it into the flour mixture before adding the next glug. Keep whisking all the while so it doesn’t go lumpy. When the sauce is smooth and thick, add the sage, a pinch of salt and let it bubble for a minute or two, stirring regularly so it thickens a little more. Add half the cheese and stir to dissolve, then remove from the heat.
Fold in the squash. Be vigorous with the folding so the squash mashes into the sauce with a few nuggets intact. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin and mash that into the mix too. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Preheat your grill to medium (180C if it gives you that option). Slather the bread with the squash mixture and top with the rest of the grated cheese.
Grill for 10-12 minutes or until bubbling hot and melting.
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