Roasted Cushaw Pumpkin with Quinoa, Caramelized Onions, and Peas

What the heck is a Cushaw Pumpkin?  It’s a delicious thing! My friends are growing some really interesting things this season, a lot of which I’ve never heard of.  So when they offered me this weird looking pumpkin thing, I grabbed it and decided I’d figure out what to do with it later.

I looked up a lot of recipes and the majority were roasted, so here’s what I did.

• 1 cushaw pumpkin, seeded and sliced into wedges
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 bag frozen petite peas, thawed
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• olive oil

Slice the pumpkin in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (reserve for drying).  Slice into wedges and place on a lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and put into a 400 degree preheated oven.

Heat a large pot with a lid on med/high heat.  Add some olive oil and when it’s hot, add the onion.  Meanwhile rinse and drain the quinoa with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

Stir the onions occasionally, until caramelized

Add the quinoa and water

stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa sprouted.

Take the pumpkin out of the oven when the pieces are fork tender -

chop into bite size pieces (carefully, they’re really hot)

When the quinoa is done, add the pumpkin and peas to the pot and toss gently, but thoroughly to combine

Spoon a hearty serving into a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over the top, squeeze a wedge of lemon and salt and pepper to taste

Don’t skip the lemon and olive oil, that’s where the magic happens. I think this was even more delicious than any squash I’ve ever had.  The cushaw has a very delicate, buttery flavor that is out of this world.

My daughter said she would have preferred it skinned, but I thought the skin was really nice and nutty.  And organic from a friend’s garden?  I’m not passing up those nutrients!