Heat the oven to 210°C. Cut the pumpkin into thick wedges and the onion into wedges. Mix with four crushed garlic cloves, olive oil and all pumpkin spices. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, turning halfway, until dark at the edges.
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Recipes · Frequency Cooking Journal
Golden pumpkin
with burrata and
sage walnut pesto.
Sweet roasted pumpkin, creamy burrata, bold sage, toasted walnuts and crisp buckwheat. A vegetarian autumn dish full of warmth and freshness.
Autumn in Mallorca
When the island
begins to slow down.
Autumn arrives differently in Mallorca. There is no sharp line between summer and cold weather. First the light becomes softer. Some mornings leave moisture on the stone walls, the air smells of soil and rosemary, and in the afternoon I can still cook with the kitchen doors wide open. Only when the sun disappears behind the olive trees do I start craving something warm from the oven.
This dish began on one of those evenings. I came home from the market with a pumpkin and no fixed plan. Sage was growing outside, a burrata was waiting in the fridge and there was buckwheat left from breakfast. I started cutting, crushing garlic and rubbing spices between my fingers. Soon the kitchen smelled of roasted pumpkin, cumin, fennel and smoked paprika.
The cool burrata, bright lemon and strong sage pesto turned that warm pumpkin into something that still felt like Mallorca. The buckwheat crackled in the pan and gave every bite a different ending. Since then I have cooked this plate for guests who think vegetarian food has to be quiet. It is generous, deeply seasoned and full of contrast, while still feeling light enough for an island evening.
55 minutesincluding roasting
4 servingsmain or starter
about 590 kcalper serving as a guide
Vegetarianeasy to adapt vegan
Gluten freewith pure ingredients
Milk & nutsburrata and walnuts
Why this dish is special
Four textures,
one calm plate.
Pumpkin can become very sweet and soft, so I give it contrast. Sage brings warmth, lemon freshness, chilli balance and burrata creaminess without a heavy sauce.
Crisp buckwheat is more than decoration. Toasted with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika and salt, it develops a nutty flavour and changes every bite.
I recommend it for a long autumn evening, as a vegetarian centrepiece for guests or as a warm starter. On a sharing table I serve it on one large platter and open the burrata just before serving.
For 4 servings
What goes
in.
For the pumpkin
- 1.2 kg Hokkaido or butternut pumpkin
- 1 large red onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp lightly crushed fennel seeds
- sea salt and black pepper
Pesto & finish
- 2 burrata, about 125 g each
- 1 large bunch fresh sage
- 80 g walnuts
- 1 small garlic clove
- zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 90 ml good olive oil
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 100 g buckwheat
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- salt and black pepper
How it comes together
Roast, blend,
let it crisp.
Toast the walnuts and cool. Roughly blend sage, one garlic clove, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, honey and olive oil. Keep some texture and season with salt, plenty of pepper and more lemon if needed.
Rinse and dry the buckwheat very well. Toast with a little olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin, smoked paprika and salt near the end.
Arrange pumpkin and onion on a platter. Tear over the drained burrata, spoon over pesto and finish with buckwheat, walnuts, lemon, pepper, sea salt and sage.
Allergens & adjustments
Worth knowing
before you eat.
This recipe contains milk from burrata and tree nuts from walnuts. Use plant based burrata or lemony white bean cream for a vegan version. Pumpkin seeds can replace walnuts.
Buckwheat is naturally gluten free. For coeliac disease, use certified gluten free buckwheat and spices and separate utensils.
Roast the pumpkin a day ahead if needed. Keep pesto and buckwheat separate and add burrata just before serving. Chill leftovers and eat within one to two days.
From the Frequency Cooking kitchen
Save this plate
for an autumn evening.
If you are in Mallorca and would rather be cooked for, I bring seasonal dishes like this to your finca, villa or long table.
Discover private cooking
From my kitchen in Mallorca
Hi, I am
Jessica.
I live and cook in Mallorca, and autumn is one of my favourite in-between seasons here. The markets become earthier, the light settles lower over the fields and the last sunny flavours of summer meet the first warm dishes from the oven.
That is exactly where this golden pumpkin comes from. I wanted a plate that brings warmth without feeling heavy, with herbs, lemon, good olive oil, plenty of garlic and spice. This is how I love to cook: attentively, generously and with the belief that food can create a moment people remember.