On American recipe sites you come across many recipes with pumpkin puree, mostly from can. In the Netherlands it is still quite complicated to find pumpkin puree from can , but fortunately it is also easy to make your own. By the way, this pumpkin puree from Flavour from Ottolenghi is total not comparable to the one from can, and I would certainly not use it as a substitute.

For this pumpkin puree, you first mix the pumpkin with flavorings, then slowly roast it in the oven . This does take some time, but actually you have almost no work to do. The result is a chunky, yet very soft pumpkin puree with a nice spicy flavor. The miso makes it a little more special and provides some umami flavor.

This puree of roasted pumpkin goes very well as a side dish at Christmas. But it is also very tasty on toast, or as part of a drinks board. The puree is suitable for making in advance. Make it no more than a day in advance and reheat it just before serving. It is also suitable for freezing.

Tips

• In this recipe season the pumpkin with cinnamon and cumin. You can also use pumpkin spice instead, if you already have it in the house
• This puree is easiest to make with a bottle pumpkin, because it is easy to peel. It is also delicious with a hakkaido pumpkin or a sweet dumpling, but the skin is harder.
• Use a baking pan where everything fits on one layer but as close together as possible. If there is too much space between the pieces of pumpkin you have a chance that the liquid on the bottom will burn. You can then remove the pieces of pumpkin - you will see that they are not burnt - but the dishes are a lot of work. You can avoid this by covering the baking dish with baking paper.