Pumpkin and chestnut are the symbols of the autumn season and as a result I came to think of trying to match them, but in addition to seasonality I remembered their nutritional properties.
Of American origin, the pumpkin is orange for betacarotene and is rich in vitamins A and C. It is also an excellent antioxidant and is also low in calories, being made up 90% of water.
Chestnuts have been appreciated for a long time so that during the Middle Ages there was the craft of the "castagnatores", people specialized in their harvesting and conservation, and many people flocked to this nourishing fruit. Unlike the pumpkin, chestnuts are a hypercalorie food and therefore balance the nutritional aspect of the pot.
The recipe for this first "Pumpkin with Chestnut Cream" dish was born from the desire to play with two sweet ingredients that I wanted to modify without altering the characteristics.
Ingredients:
’Velvet’ Pumpkin · Roasted Chestnut crumbs and cream · Bread Croutons · Roasted Onions · Fresh Ricotta · Oregano and Beetroot Sprouts
Procedure:
Pumpkin: Cut the pumpkin into cubes and briefly fry them. Add water and bake for about 10 minutes, then whisk it all. No salt.
Chestnuts: cook the chestnuts in the pan used for hot roasting, then grind them and fry them by adding water and a swirl of olive oil until reaching the consistency of a cream. Salt to taste.
Spring onions: clean the spring onions and cook them on a hot cast iron pot for 4/5 minutes. Salt to taste.
Bread croutons: make bread cubes, better if old so you do not throw anything away, and fry in a hot frying pan with a pinch of oil until golden. Salt to taste
Presentation
Pour two ladles of ‘velvet’ pumpkin into a deep dish and add about ten teaspoons of chestnut cream. Spread the croutons and cover them with pieces chopped off the onions. Finish with fresh ricotta and oregano leaves, and if you like the spicy add some red beetroot sprouts
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