Grilled Squid With Pumpkin Seed Pesto Africa Recipes

FRIED SQUID WITH ANCHOVY DRESSING AND PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the oil, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and water until smooth. The batter should be just thick enough to adhere to the squid, season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a large saucepan to 375 degrees F. Season squid with salt and pepper and dip into the batter, allowing any excess to drip off. Fry the squid until crisp on all sides and golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with anchovy dressing and pesto.

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Drop the garlic cloves into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to temper their sharpness. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cloves to a food processor or blender.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the garlic, and process until very finely ground. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the basil. Scoop 1/4 cup water from the saucepan with the boiling pasta and pour over the basil. Process the basil until ground to a paste. Add the Parmesan and oil, and pulse just until incorporated. Taste the pesto and season with enough salt and pepper to make it punchy.
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water until room temperature. Shake dry, then return to the saucepan, and add the pesto and tomatoes, if using. Stir well until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among dishes to serve right away or airtight containers to pack for lunch. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan, and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Warm 1/2 cup olive oil over low heat in a small skillet and add the sliced garlic. Raise the heat to medium and sauté until garlic is lightly tanned and aromatic. Remove garlic from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add pumpkin seeds to the oil and raise heat to medium-high, stirring. Cook for about 2 minutes, until seeds start to crackle and pop (be careful!) and are lightly browned. Remove seeds from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil. When the garlic and pumpkin seeds have cooled, transfer to the bowl of a food processor, and add the cheese and herbs. Pulse 3 or 4 times, until well mixed. Add vinegar and the reserved garlic oil. With the motor running, slowly pour in remaining olive oil until mixture reaches desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and red pepper.

BASIL, LIME AND PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Lightly toast pumpkin seeds and grind unil they stick to the walls of the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients. Add more olive oil or lime juice to thin if necessary.

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Combine pumpkin seeds, Parmesan and garlic, and process until seeds are finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and blend just enough to combine.

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pumpkin seeds with salt and pepper to taste, stirring constantly, until seeds are puffed and beginning to pop (some will brown, but do not let all of them), about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and cool completely.
• Pulse seed mixture in a food processor with water, cilantro, scallions, and remaining 4 tablespoons oil until mixture forms a coarse paste (not finely ground). Transfer to a bowl and stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CORIANDER AND PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Remove skin, fibres and seeds of the squash/pumpkin and cut into cubes (mine were approximately 5-6cm). (You may also want to leave the skin on and remove after roasting if this is easier with the particular squash/pumpkin you are using.) Rub the squash pieces with sunflower oil and season well with salt and pepper. Put them into a small roasting tin (skin-side down if skin wasn't removed). Roast for about 40 minutes or until tender.
• Remove squash from oven and remove skin when cool enough to handle if you haven't done so earlier. You may also want to cut squash into smaller chunks if your pieces are rather big. I didn't cut mine any smaller, as I preferred to cut my squash into smallish chunks before roasting.
• Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for about 10minutes until the onion is very soft but not browned. Add the roasted squash, and any juices from the plate and the stock. Note: I used 1.2 litres of water, but only stock cubes for 1 litre, as you have salted your squash before roasting it, and you will also add parmesan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is ready to be liquidised.
• Meanwhile, make the PESTO:.
• Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and shake them around until lightly toasted. Cool, reserving 1 tablespoon of seeds to garnish.
• Put the rest of the seeds into a food processor with the chilli, garlic, fresh coriander and oil. Blend to a paste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the parmesan, seasoning to taste.
• Finish SOUP:.
• Leave the soup to cool slightly, then liquidise in batches until smooth. Note: I always use a high pan and a hand-held liquidiser, so I don't need to remove and return the soup. Return to a clean pan and bring back to a gentle simmer. Stir in 4 tablespoons of the pesto (I stirred in all of it, although it was more than 4 tablespoons, but stir in four and check how you like it)and adjust the seasoning.
• SERVE:.
• Ladle into warmed bowls and add a spoonful of sour cream, and sprinkle with the reserved pumkin seeds and coriander leaves.
• If you haven't used the whole amount of pesto before, serve it at the table, so everybody can stir in more if desired. Another possibility is to top crackers or toasted bread with it and serve together with the soup.