Pagan Pumpkin

06/04 PAGAN PUMPKIN

Every year I used to partake in a ritual burning of the wicker man to celebrate the winter solstice. As I grew up the wicker men sacrificed became more and more elaborate, with old opera props being used to create the most mythical and terrifying creations towering down over us in the black countryside until they gave into the searing flames, billowing heat and light into the glittering heavens.

I thought nothing of it, and came to see it as a normal yearly ritual. It isn't. Its not normal for families to gather and burn giant effigies which I later found out contained everyones old paperwork. However I love having such formative experiences as that. This recipe pays homage to the many years of slightly pagan upbringing. This is edible pagan poetry.

This pumpkin swelled from the garden, and is divided whole before being blasted in the oven akin to the wicker pile. Then serves in a orange beams radiating the heat of the sun. I believe in many pagan ideas. They, like the aztecs who were the most innovative and chic empire around, worship the sun. And the seasons. And the earth. Things that make sense because we live from it. I get confused by the world most of the time. There is definitely a time and place to burn a wicker man, let the catharsis of the flame take you back to a primitive state of mind. If you can't burn a giant stature, make this pumpkin. Same feeling.

Ingredients (all approximate) - 

1 Whole Pumpkin
1 tbls Aleppo Pepper
1 tbls Cajun Seasoning or Smoked Paprika (up to you)
1 Slug of Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper

What I did - Oven preheated to 220

The thing about pumpkins that put most people off is de-seeding them of their squishy tangled guts. Something about that makes your throat jump into your mouth and skin crawl. Here there is no fear of that. Simply slice the pumpkin into wedges along their cresses. If there thick, say ore than four cm across then cut each lump in half again. Leave the skin and seeds on. Stand them up in a deep baking dish so that the thin edges make a landscape of razor thin peaks.

Lubricate the peaks with a liberal slug of olive oil. Dust the pepper, cajun seasoning or paprika over the top so that the orange peaks are flecked with red fire. Crack the salt and pepper over.

Blast in the oven at 220 degrees for about half an hour, then turn the heat down to 160 for two more. The seeds should by now be crunchy, the peaks charred and the fleshy base gloriously soft . All parts of this pumpkin are now more than edible, they are salty, spicy and moorish.

Eat with a decadent medieval roast, or just pagan-ly by themselves paying tribute to the harvest and the sun. Each wedge a charred ray of light beaming straight to our mouthes.

JG