Friday, June 19, 2020

Golden Pumpkin, Zucchini, and Olive Loaf




With the weekend almost here, I want to share with you an idea for Sunday brunch, or brekkie if you are out of bed on a cold Winter's morning, or even lunch.  Those of you living in the Northern Hemisphere and coasting into a balmy summer, will be enjoying a breakfast in the golden sunshine hopefully. This is a nutritious vegetarian loaf for everyone which provides a blank but tasty canvas for a myriad of toppings, or for none at all if that's your preference.  Whatever you fancy really and it is a very pushy recipe. If you can reign in a cheffy apprentice from somewhere to grate the pumpkin for you that will cut your preparation time. I tried grating chopped pieces in my food processor but that didn't really work, but  a good firm pumpkin is very easy to grate, just watch those fingers. I always use my food processor to grate the zucchinis though, much safer.

Half a Kent (Jap) pumpkin
The knife in the top photo has had an interesting evolution and probably shudders now when it is close to a pumpkin. The blade used to be much longer with a pointed tip as with a normal carving knife, that is before I tried cutting into a large, very firm Jap pumpkin with it. The blade snapped, thankfully with no injuries incurred, and with Mr. HRK nearby to the rescue he extricated the knife and blade from the pumpkin for me. No harm done. I must say that this all happened about 6 months ago, well before his hand accident. He then reshaped, sharpened and tidied up the blade,  and now it is such a useful knife with a very strong blade. Great for cutting pumpkins. I love buying a whole large pumpkin with a lot of potential, but cutting that first slice requires some care and muscle.

Such a tasty little morsel on my breakfast tray
 Feed this loaf to your family and they will also be eating lots of nutritious ingredients and vegetables without even realising it. Carrot can be substituted for the zucchini, and Mr. HRK suggested adding some blue cheese to the ingredients, wonderful with a cheese platter and a glass of good red. I'll try that next time I make it. Even though this loaf tastes really light, the mixture needs to be cooked well and nicely browned as it is a big loaf. This is based on the wonderful Maggie Beer's recipe from her Recipe for Life cookbook, and I have added a few extra ingredients for a little added flavour.  I'm not a big salt eater, but I thought it needed a little extra salt, so I have added a small amount and a pinch of salt bush flakes from the Australian outback, just because I have them.

 Ingredients:

Serves 8-10

80 g black olives, pitted, make it 100g if you really like olives
3 cups (375 g) coarsely grated pumpkin (I like to use a Jap or Kent pumpkin)
1 cup (135 g) coarsely grated zucchini
3 tablespoons unhulled tahini
5 free range eggs
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 cups (240 g) ground almonds
1 cup (90 g) organic rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
1/4 teaspoon (pinch) salt bush flakes (optional)


Method:

Preheat the oven to 165 deg. C (fan-forced). Grease and line  a 13 cm x 23 cm loaf tin with baking paper.

Place the olives in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.

To the bowl add the pumpkin, zucchini, tahini, eggs and olive oil. Mix and combine well.

In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, salt, thyme, salt bush flakes, rolled oats, baking powder and nutmeg.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then pour into the prepared tin. Scatter the pumpkin seeds over the top and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.



Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin.

Serve warm or leave to cool completely.Slices of this freeze beautifully, so cut into 1.5 cm thick slices and freeze in portions in zip-lock bags. We love it toasted.



The toppings to eat with this loaf are only limited by your imagination.  Serve it toasted for breakfast or brunch topped with avocado and eggs of your choice ( poached, scrambled, or fried).



I enjoyed it one morning for brekkie with sliced banana on top, and Maggie  Beer suggests ricotta and sliced tomato. If you like hummus, add some rocket leaves and you have a fast and healthy snack, or just serve it warm with butter. It is also very tasty served with my homemade spicy tomato relish as a topping. Yum! If you have some pumpkin tucked away in your crisper, do you think you would like this recipe?

Eat well my friends and I hope you have a relaxing and safe weekend.

Warm wishes

Pauline











20 comments:

  1. It looks so delicious.
    And I love your enamel butter dish. 😊

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    1. Thanks so much Nil. The old butter dish has been so useful and graced many kitchen tables. Have a great weekend, Pauline

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  2. That looks amazingly delicious and loaded with all the goodness. I would love one slice with lots of butter for my tea :-))

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    1. Thanks Angie, Perfect for tea, if you were closer I would give you some.Best wishes, Pauline

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  3. What a fabulously versatile idea. I am copying it out for later use. Can't wait to experiment with flavours.

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    1. Thanks Bernie, I hope you enjoy it. Would love to hear what flavours you try for a change. Best wishes, Pauline

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  4. yep i have to say it again - love that enamel butter dish! this looks like a terrific loaf. i love pepitas!

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    1. Thanks Sherry. I wish I knew more about the history of that butter dish, it's been around as long as I can remember. Interesing how everyone loves it. Pepitas give this dish a lovely nutty flavour.Best wishes, Pauline

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  5. Thanks so much for this recipe, Pauline. I am going to make this loaf. I have broken too many knives when cutting pumpkins so now just buy butternuts which are easy to cut. We had Queensland Blues growing last year and they were so hard to cut into.

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    1. Thanks Chel, yes I think one needs a machete to cut some of those pumpkins. Still they are so versatile aren't they. I hope the loaf works well with butternut pumpkin as well. Best wishes, Pauline

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  6. This is my type of bread! That could not have been a well made knife if it snapped. Lucky you hubby could rescue it. Hope he's healing well :)

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    1. Thanks Tandy, the knife is a lot stronger now. Hubby going well thanks. Best wishes, Pauline

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  7. Gosh, this must have amazing flavor. Like the looks of this loaf, and the recipe looks to be excellent. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks KR, so happy you like the recipe. I will be making it over and over again I think. Best wishes, Pauline

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  8. Yum, the loaf looks so good, I love the color inside! Such a unique recipe, I should definitely try this one. Have a lovely weekend ☺

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    1. Thanks Natalia, we are very used to cooking with pumpkin for sweet and savoury dishes here and it is so versatile. Hope your week is going well. Warm wishes, Pauline

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  9. What an interesting and yummy looking recipe. I'm fascinated by the olive addition. We don't have any fresh pumpkins just now, but I will be making this in the fall. I'm glad to hear hubby's hand is doing better and a tip of my hat to his bladesmithing skills.

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    1. Thanks Ron, we are so fortunate here to have pumpkins all year round, but they excel in Autumn/Winter. Next time I think I will add even more olives, such a delicious addition. Stay well,Pauline

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  10. In India we make a snaking bread which is called "Handvo". Its quite similar but may be not as healthy as your pumpkin bread.

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  11. Hi Balvinder, It's so nice to hear from you. Your snaking bread sounds fascinating. I must look that up. Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it. Pauline

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