Stuffed pumpkin with tempeh

Bold claim: The best thing about winter is pumpkins! We make soups from butternut and muscat pumpkins, spaghetti squash from the oven is something special for a snack, and the classic Hokkaido pumpkin is included in every roasted vegetable dish.

We've only recently discovered and fallen in love with stuffed pumpkin. Served with a crisp salad, it quickly creates a warm autumn dish that's also perfect for preparing ahead for an evening with friends. Our limited-edition chickpea and pumpkin seed tempeh is the perfect accompaniment: hearty, nutty, and aromatic.

Stuffed pumpkin with brown sauce

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1 pack of pumpkin tempeh (alternatively: chickpea tempeh )
• 2 small Hokkaido pumpkins, halved
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250 g diced oyster mushrooms
• 250 g mushrooms
• 200g spinach leaves (reserve some for garnish)
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp miso
• sun-dried tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Parsley
• Sea salt & pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 large red onion
  
• 150 g mushrooms
  
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  
• ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
  
• 1 tsp mustard
  
• 1 tsp tomato paste
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 sprig of thyme
  
• optional: 3 Douchi (fermented beans)
  
• 1 tsp Mugi-Miso
  
• 350 ml vegetable broth
  
• optional: 50 ml red wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
  

Preparation:

1. Halve the pumpkins, remove the seeds, rub them all over with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake cut-side up at 180°C for about 40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft (test with a toothpick).
2. Chop the onion and garlic, slice the mushrooms, and wash the spinach.
3. Sauté onions in oil until translucent, add mushrooms, diced tempeh, and garlic, and fry until golden brown. Season with miso and deglaze with soy sauce and a little vegetable broth or water. Finally, briefly sauté the spinach, then add the sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts.
4. Fill the pumpkin halves with the filling and garnish with spinach and parsley.
5. If desired, the pumpkin can be topped with cheese or feta cubes can be added.

The pumpkin really shines with a spicy, brown sauce. This can also easily be made vegetarian.

Brown sauce

1. Chop the onion and fry it in oil until translucent.
2. Add mustard, miso and tomato paste and fry briefly to develop roasted aromas.
3. Add chopped mushrooms and fry all around until they start to release liquid.
4. Deglaze with vegetable stock, add red wine and douchi beans. Finally, add the herbs and simmer the sauce over low heat for at least 30 minutes (or until the desired consistency is reached).
5. Remove the herbs and purée the sauce until smooth. If desired, you can then strain it through a sieve.
6. In the unlikely event that there are any leftovers: freeze them!