Sesame crusted pumpkin, chicken and parsley chopped salad

1. Pre heat oven to 170C. Cut the pumpkin into 4 thick wedges, leaving the skin on. Brush with oil and season liberally on all sides. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Take a dinner plate and place white and sesame seeds, pepitas and cumin seeds on it, mix to combine and flatten out before pressing 1 cut side (for presentation) of pumpkin into the seed mix. Place crusted pumpkin, seed side up, on the baking tray and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until just tender. Allow to cool. 
2. For the chicken, marinate in oil, chopped garlic chives, salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool. 
3. For the salad, prepare all herbs and chop spring onion, tomatoes and cucumber. Chop cooled chicken. Mix with any juices from cooking chicken, olive oil, lemon juice and season. 
4. To serve, simply serve pumpkin along side the chopped salad.

This recipe is the creation of Sammy & Bella – Take a peek at their website for more delicious ideas!

How to grow the ingredients at home…

Pumpkins are long lasting vegies that can keep your autumn and winter kitchen stocked in preparation for warming and mouth watering recipes. I recommend growing ‘Golden Nugget’ pumpkin in a planter box with plenty of sunshine.

When to plant – in cool and temperate zones sow pumpkin seed in spring to early summer, in warm climates they can be grown all year round. Pumpkins take around 14 weeks to mature. 

Care tips – keep the soil moist and feed pumpkin plants regularly with a potassium enriched liquid plant food, to encourage healthy plant growth and lots of flowers and pumpkins.

Pumpkins can be harvested once the plants start to die down and the stems brown off. Cut the stems around 5 cm away from the pumpkin and then leave the pumpkin in a sunny dry spot for about two weeks, which helps the skins toughen up and improves their shelf life. Pumpkins can then be stored in a cool, dry airy spot for up to six months.

Parsley is one of the must-have herbs at home. Italian plain leaf parsley is an upright growing variety with large, flat leaves. It has a stronger flavour than curled parsley and can be picked continuously for up to two years. 

Italian flat leaf parsley seed can be sown all around Australia during January. It grows well in full sun to part shade, in either planter boxes, pots or garden beds. To keep parsley productive, keep it well watered, feed every 1-2 weeks from spring to autumn with nitrogen rich liquid plant food, harvest leaves regularly and remove any flowering stems. Sow more seeds during spring to ensure you have a constant fresh supply of this delicious herb.

More tips on how to create your own kitchen garden.