Oven-baked pumpkin with mozzarella
Ingredients:
¼ large Sampson F1 pumpkin, naturally sweet (makes about 3-4 kg)
1-2 mozzarella balls
Black pepper
Butter
Walnuts
Preparation:
Thoroughly rinse the pumpkin, scrape off the seeds and the fibers around them. Place the pumpkin on a large baking dish and bake at 200°C until golden brown. In my oven, the cooking time can go up to 4 hours (when the flesh is really thick, like 5 cm or more). During cooking, it is sometimes necessary to make 2 aluminum foil caps to cover both ends of the pumpkin.
Out of the oven, let the pumpkin rest a bit and cut it into 200-300 gram portions. Melt a slice of butter on each piece. Then cover with mozzarella rings (or some other cheese such as emmental, gouda, etc.) and sprinkle with black pepper. Grill it shortly in the oven just before serving, using the broiler function of the oven and placing the rack in the middle, or even one level above. Melt and brown the mozzarella.
Before serving, sprinkle with crushed walnuts. This oven-baked pumpkin can make your starter or your main course. I loved it more like a main course, preceded with a bowl of creamed soup and a handful of nuts that made my dessert.