200g pumpkin, diced
1 onion, peeled and cut into a 1cm dice
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained, but liquid reserved
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons tahini
Pumpkin seeds for garnish
In a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, sauté the pumpkin, onion, garlic, cumin and salt in the olive oil over medium heat, place on the lid and cook for 15 minutes until the pumpkin is caramelised and soft and the onion is also starting to get a gentle caramelisation. Turn the heat off and leave the lid on to steam and soften a little further.
Place the cooled pumpkin mix with all of the oil into a small food processor (or a stick blender with jug) with the drained chickpeas, the juice of a lemon, maple syrup, tahini and blitz until super smooth.
You can now add 1 tablespoon of reserved liquid (aquafaba) at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Taste for seasoning and place in a serving bowl or container covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Spoon into a flatish serving bowl in undulating waves, finishing with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of contextualising pumpkin seeds.
