Roasted pumpkin with spiced brown rice and brisket

Name: Roasted pumpkin with spiced brown rice and brisket
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 400g cooked brown rice* (see note); 1 cup; ¾ cup cranberries; 2 cups fresh herbs; 1 small red onion, finely sliced; 3-4 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane; 50ml olive oil; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon; 1 medium Queensland blue (or Japanese) pumpkin; maple syrup to drizzle

Katrina Meynink

September 25, 2023

Roasted pumpkin stuffed with spiced brown rice and leftover brisket.Katrina Meynink

Time:2 hours +Serves:8

This dish makes a small amount of brisket stretch a long way – and it’s one I would happily serve for a long lunch or dinner to visiting friends or family. Once you have prepped the pumpkin, it takes care of itself in the oven, and looks glorious coming out on a large platter, being both the cooking vessel and the meal itself.

Ingredients

400g cooked brown rice* (see note)
1 cup cooked, shredded brisket
¾ cup cranberries
2 cups fresh herbs
1 small red onion, finely sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane
50ml olive oil
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 medium Queensland blue (or Japanese) pumpkin
maple syrup to drizzle

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 175C fan-forced (195C conventional)
Step 2
Combine the rice, brisket, cranberries, herbs, onion and garlic in a bowl. Whisk the olive oil, ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon together in a small bowl and pour over the rice and brisket mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 3
To hull the pumpkin, use a sharp knife and cut off the top of the pumpkin – this will become the lid. It needs to be thick enough to still hold its shape when cooked so cut it about 5-8cm down from the stalk. Set aside the “lid”. Using a sharp knife, remove the seeds and fibrous “pumpkin brains” – this will feel quite tough cutting into the uncooked pumpkin flesh. Discard the seeds and pulp.
Step 4
Add the rice mixture into the hulled pumpkin to fill the cavity. Gently press the filling down so it is level with the top of the pumpkin. Drizzle maple syrup over the rice and top with the pumpkin lid.
Step 5
Cook for 2-2.5 hours or until the pumpkin has softened and completely cooked through. Remove the lid to serve and season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 6
To serve, either scoop the filling from the pumpkin, taking some pumpkin flesh as you do or cut into wedges, moving quickly as some of the rice mixture will spill.