This dish not only looks fantastic, but tastes amazing – the sage and pumpkin flavours work so well together. They contain potassium and vitamin A, and the seeds are really nutritious. This is also a great recipe to use up all the scooped out flesh once you’ve made your Lanterns.

As regards medicinal properties – apparently pumpkins were once used for removing freckles and curing snake bites! How scary is that for Halloween?!

Ingredients:

4 baby pumpkins or one large one
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated
4 portions risotto base
1 small bunch fresh sage

What you do with all this:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F, 175° C, gas mark 4
2. Slice the top off each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
3. Carefully scoop out the flesh and cut into 1cm cubes.
4. Place the pumpkin flesh into an oven-proof dish, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast for approximately 20 minutes or until soft.
5. Turn the scooped out pumpkins upside down onto a baking tray, with their lids, and roast them in the oven as well.
6. Meanwhile, make the risotto base, using the recipe in this book.
7. A few minutes before the risotto is finished, remove the roasted pumpkin flesh from the oven and add to the risotto, together with any roasting juices.
8. Finely chop the sage and add half of it to the risotto
9. Season to taste.
10. Remove the pumpkin shells carefully from the oven (they will be hot), place one on each plate, and fill with the risotto, overfill onto the plate for added effect.
11. Place a “lid” on each pumpkin and “garnish” the plate with remainder of the chopped sage.

Serves 4

What you do with all this:
­ Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
­ Fry the onion and garlic lightly until the onion becomes transparent.
­ Add all the vegetables and give them a good stir.
­ Add the vegetable stock and bring everything to the boil.
­ Reduce the heat and simmer lightly for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
­ Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
­ Leave chunky, or use a hand held blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Add a dash of Tabasco if you like your soup with a bite or freshly ground pepper

You will need:
­ 8oz chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content (85% cocoa content makes the dessert even richer),
­ 60ml of a cup of coffee (decaffeinated ideally),
­ 2 large eggs – very fresh,
­ 4 tablespoons sugar,
­ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract,
­ 2 tablespoons of dark rum,
­ 240ml double cream (OK for whisking),
­ An electric whisk,

What you do with all this:
­ Separate the egg yolks and whites. Put the yolks in one mixing bowl and the whites in another.
­ Using a hand held electric whisk beat the egg yolks until they are blended. Gradually add in 2 tablespoons of sugar, whilst blending all the time. Continue whisking for about 5 minutes or until the yolks turn pale yellow.
­ Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Leave to one side for a moment.
­ Break the chocolate bars into squares and put them into a saucepan with the liquid coffee. Stir together, over a low heat, until all the chocolate is melted.
­ Add the melted chocolate and coffee to the egg yolks, rum and vanilla mixture. Leave to one side.
­ Clean the whisk beaters thoroughly and then start to whisk the egg whites. Gradually add in the other 2 tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites and whisk the whole lot until stiff peaks form.
­ Stir the egg white mixture gently into the mixture of egg yolk, rum, vanilla, chocolate and coffee.
­ Using the empty egg white mixing bowl, whisk the cream until this is stiff and then add this to the other ingredients. Fold everything in together to mix it thoroughly and then pour and spoon the whole lot into a posh bowl ready for a dinner party.
­ Place in the fridge and leave for at least 2 hours (it can be made the night before and left for 24 hours).

What you do with all this:
­ Chop the garlic and onions finely.
­ Heat a wok up until the olive oil is sizzling.
­ Stir-fry the onion and garlic until slightly brown and then add the chopped tomatoes.
­ Add the basil, salt & pepper and leave the sauce to simmer until some pasta is cooked (10-15 minutes).

TIP 1 this freezes well so make a big batch and put it into small tubs in the freezer to have quick pasta whenever you like.
TIP 2 if wheat is a problem for you, you can get rice pasta and corn pasta from health food shops, which looks and tastes just like wheat but without the side effects.
TIP 3 to make this a hot and spicy pasta sauce just buy some spicy olive oil and use this for cooking instead.

What you do with all this:
­ Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and then lightly fry the onions and garlic for 15-20 minutes until transparent (do not brown).
­ Transfer this mixture to a side dish then heat some more olive oil in the same pan and put in all the spices and lightly fry for 2-3 minutes.
­ Put the onion mix back in the pan with the spices and mix thoroughly.
­ Add the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly before blending it into a smooth mixture.
­ Return the mixture to the heat and stir in the coconut block until it is completely dissolved.
­ You now have a delicious curry sauce to which you can add all the vegetables. Put the lid on the saucepan and simmer gently until the vegetables are cooked to your liking (about 30 minutes).

What you do with all this:
­ Melt the butter in a large pan.
­ Fry the onion and garlic lightly until the onion becomes transparent.
­ Add the chopped carrots and give the mix a good stir.
­ Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
­ Reduce the heat and simmer lightly for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.
­ Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
­ Use a hand held blender to blend the mixture until smooth.
­ Stir in the grated carrots and coriander and then the cream.
­ Serve with a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
This soup can be cooked in advance and re-heated as required.

What you do with all this:
­ In a large saucepan or wok, heat the oil and lightly fry the onions for 10 minutes until transparent.
­ Add the pepper and garlic and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
­ Then add all the mixed vegetables, including the drained kidney beans, tinned tomatoes and chillies and give it all a good stir.
­ Stir in the chilli powder and then put the lid on the pan. Bring to the boil then reduce to simmering point and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
­ Serve with brown rice.