It's that time of year again. Oranges and reds line the streets instead of green, the darker nights are starting to draw in, and we're pulling woolly jumpers out the back of of our wardrobes. Orange and black fill the aisles of the supermarkets too, from Halloween costumes to boxes overflowing with pumpkins of all sizes. For those with kids, it's all about the carving, but why not put your pumpkins to their original use and create something delicious for all the family to enjoy? It's time to celebrate the season with this delicious recipe from Forge's Head Chef, Jake Jones, who is also the proud recipient of a Michelin Green Star and our Michelin Young Chef of the Year award for 2024.
The sprawling Middleton Lodge Estate, located in the North Yorkshire village of Middleton Tyas, stretches out over 200 acres, and this creative restaurant sits inside the forge that once served the Estate. The tasting menu – which also comes in both vegetarian and vegan forms – features seasonal produce, including some grown in their two-acre garden or foraged from the Estate. They even go as far as harvesting their own honey and birch sap! The remainder of the ingredients come from local farmers and producers, in a bid to support the local economy while also keeping their food miles as low as possible. The cooking demonstrates a strong grasp of balance and flavour, with a host of picture-perfect dishes that allow these local ingredients to really shine.
Wood-Fired Pumpkin Flatbread with Lovage Gremolata, Goat’s Curd, Fermented Chilli Sauce & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Dish Elements:
• Flatbread• Pieces of barbecued pumpkin
• Lovage gremolata
• Fermented chilli hot sauce (we make our own on the Estate, but any shop-bought
buffalo-style hot sauce is a great alternative)
• Pumpkin seeds, toasted
• Goat’s curd
• Cold-pressed rapeseed oil
• Rocket
• Chicory leaves, chopped and reserved in ice water
• Raw silverskin or small onions, burnt with a blowtorch
• Flaky sea salt
Flatbread
Ingredients:
• 320g strong white flour• 180g tepid water
• 85g natural yoghurt
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 7g salt
• 10g garlic paste
• 10g cold-pressed rapeseed oil
• 25g fresh yeast
Method:
1. Mix all dry ingredients together.2. Mix water with fresh yeast and rapeseed oil.
3. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, or by hand, add the water and yeast mix and the
yoghurt to the dry mix and knead for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer to a mixing bowl, cover with a damp cloth and prove until doubled in size.
5. Divide into 70g balls and roll into the required shape.
6. Place on a lined baking tray, cover with a damp cloth again, and prove.
7. Heat a skillet or non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Add flatbreads, one at a time,
and cook on both sides until golden brown.
Wood-fired Pumpkins
We cook our pumpkins in a wood-fired oven until soft in the centre, but if this is not possible, either use a barbecue or bake in an oven for roughly 1–1.5 hours until soft. Then cut into the required size, dress with cold-pressed rapeseed oil, and season with flaky sea salt.
Lovage Gremolata
Ingredients:
• 40g picked basil leaves• 30g picked flat parsley leaves
• 60g picked lovage leaves (if you can’t find this, use more parsley)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Neutral oil
• Salt to taste
Method:
In a food processor, add all the ingredients together, then trickle in oil until the correct consistency is achieved, pulsing all the time until roughly chopped. It should resemble a loose pesto.
To Serve:
• Warm the pumpkin pieces in the oven and heat the flatbread for a couple of minutes.• Spread the lovage gremolata on the flatbread, then arrange the pumpkin pieces on top.
• Spoon on the goat’s curd (Tip: if you can’t get hold of goat’s curd, use Greek yoghurt).
• Arrange the petals of the burnt onions on top.
• Add toasted pumpkin seeds, chicory and rocket, then dress with the fermented hot sauce
and serve.
*The yoghurt and curd can be replaced with vegan yoghurt to make this a vegan option.
Hero Image: © Gasp Photo Co
