A drizzling weekend day in special times. New measures announce a 2nd closure of the hospitality industry. Prospects of having a family evening at ease with a bite in a local café are immediately swept off the table when it turns out that Corona is much closer than during the first wave. We decide with our wits to stay at home while the heart wants something else. Unexpectedly, I head for Lidl to provide an evening meal that can fill the need for conviviality and warmth. Positive thinking is as strongly rooted in my brain as the desire to cook on fire. The thought that there will now be time to test out my new wood-fired oven is even more exciting when I see the pumpkins or should I make a chili? The solution for people with choice stress is not to choose. So I make a combination of both. An autumnal stew with charred pumpkin.
Disclaimer: Post sponsored by lidl Belgium. All opinions shared are honest and personal.
After a bizarre end of the week at work where corona suddenly seems to come much closer than I had hoped for, a weekend is extra satisfying. When the news arrives that positive tests have been announced in my children’s school as well, it becomes completely strange. A year ago we shouldn’t doubt whether we would go to a restaurant now or enjoy an autumnal stew at home. In no time at all the reality has been completely turned upside down. Some sense of perspective teaches us that there are situations that are far more worrying. So we might as well enjoy the evening at home and keep it safe for ourselves and others around us. The decision is mad. The Autumn stew would be made even though I was not fully aware of that at the time.
Where I can work on my other BBQ’s and appliances in the meantime purely on comfort, it’s good to be back in the business with the pure fire. I’m starting to get the hang of cutting logs to the right size. The fresh air helps to awaken the sense of perspective. The more blocks I cut, the calmer I become. With several small logs I make a firm fire for charring the pumpkin used for the autumnal stew and baking the mince. Then the fire goes on the side and occasionaly is supplemented with some more bulky blocks for a lower heat fire. This way the stew can simmer at a lower temperature. I already have more control over the fire than I did when making this 3 cheese bread.
It feels great to be busy with both the fire and the food. The warmth of the wood oven brings some extra atmosphere while the raindrops are hissing on the hot chimney and the fire is quietly whispering. Not much later the sun rises and it becomes a beautiful sunset. I hurry up to make some final pictures of the dish before joining my family for the last remnants of the aperitif. 2 chips and a small sausage were left over for daddy who wanted to play with the fire. Aren’t they sweet? Although the original plan now seems impossible for a while, we enjoyed this pleasant evening to the fullest.
It felt good to be reminded of the therapeutical aspects of a fire. Some times, the convenience of a Kamado or certainly a Pellet smoker is way to attractive. But on days with plenty of time and the need for some rest, there is nothing better than cooking on a real fire. This simple autumnal stew adds an extra dimension to the experience. Because the taste of food, to a large extent can be enhanced by the experience that is associated with it, it might have even tasted better. In other words: “If it would not be tasty as you and I thought, you probably got into the wrong atmosphere :p”. But do not worry in my opinion it is more than the circumstances that made this dish taste great. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we did! Be sure to let us know on my social media channels and don’t hesitate to share this post with possible interested people.
Autumn stew with roasted pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 pack Tortilla sheets
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 small red onions
- 2 shallots
- 2 small yellow onions
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Chile allspice Kania
- 1 tsp spice mixture
- 400 gr. mixed minced meat
- 1 tsp spice mixture
- 1 tsp chili allspice Kania
- 800 gr. passata
- 1 can of red kidney beans
- 1 can of chickpeas
- Fresh oregano finish
- 1 pack of sour cream
For the spice mix
- 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
Instructions
For the charred pumpkin
- Start your BBQ or wood-fired oven until the coals or logs burn well. Pierce holes in the Butternut pumpkin with a sharp knife and place it in the fire. Turn regularly until it is completely blackened.
- Scrape the burned skin of the pumpkin, remove the seeds and threads and cut the flesh into equal sized cubes (note this can be very hot).
Autumn stew
- Take a cast iron skillet (pan) or plancha and add the oil. Place the skillet in the wood oven or on your BBQ at a temperature of +-200°C. direct heat.
- Cut the onions and shallots into half rings and add, together with the garlic, 1 tsp spice mixture and 1 tsp chili allspice to the skillet. Let it caramelize gently.
- Drain the chickpeas and red beans in a sieve.
- Mix 1 tsp chili allspice and 1 tsp spice mixture with the minced meat and fry in a hot skillet (if you only have one pan, put the onions aside).
- Add the onions and pumpkin cubes to the fried mince and mix in the passata. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the pumpkin is allmost done. Stir regularly to prevent ingredients from burning. If necessary, add some water or stock if the sauce thickens too much.
- Add the beans to the autumn stew and let it heat up for another two minutes.
Finishing
- Lightly brush the tortilla sheets with oil and bake them on the BBQ or in your wood oven.
- Taste your stew and season with pepper, salt and additional spices or chili if desired.