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Guest Chef: Mauritian pumpkin au gratin, from Alexx Stuart’s cookbook, Low Tox Life Food

Alexx Stuart STM
Mauritian pumpkin au gratin, from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart.
Camera IconMauritian pumpkin au gratin, from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart. Credit: Cath Muscat

This dish will forever bring my grandmother back to life in my mind.

We have big lunches in Mauritius, so often grand-mère would do a gratin with bread and a leafy greens salad as a simple dinner. It might seem weird to mix cheese with ginger, but trust me, it’s great. It’s a Mauritian thing. You can serve it as a simple meal on its own, but it also works as an autumnal starter when pumpkins are in season. Warm comfort in a bowl.

This is really easy — yes, you do have to check on it and stir the pumpkin to ensure even cooking . . . but I do this when I’m also cooking another dish or two. That way, when you’re chopping and organising other bits, you just take little breaks to stir the pumpkin.

Alexx Stuart, author of Low Tox Life Food.
Camera IconAlexx Stuart, author of Low Tox Life Food. Credit: Cath Muscat

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Ingredients

40g butter or ghee (or coconut oil or macadamia oil, see ‘Tips & Tricks’ at the end of the recipe)

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1 x 2.5cm piece ginger, crushed, grated or finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1.5–2kg butternut or kent pumpkin, roughly chopped into smallish chunks

1 small handful parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve

4 thyme sprigs

4 spring onions, green part only, roughly chopped

½ tsp salt or to taste

1 cup (250ml) chicken or vegetable stock or filtered water

2 cups (200g) grated cheese (or 1 cup (60g) nutritional yeast)

Mauritian pumpkin au gratin, from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart.
Camera IconMauritian pumpkin au gratin, from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart. Credit: Cath Muscat

Method

Step 1 Heat the butter or ghee in a large heavy-based saucepan (see ‘Tips & Tricks’ at the end of the recipe) over medium heat.

Step 2 Fry the onion for 6–7 minutes, until well softened and golden.

Step 3 Add the ginger, garlic, pumpkin, parsley, thyme, spring onion, salt and stock. Reduce the heat to medium–low and cook, covered, for 15–25 minutes, stirring every 5–8 minutes, until the pumpkin is well cooked. The last time you stir, leave the lid off until most of the liquid evaporates.

Step 4 Preheat the oven to 180C.

Step 5 Remove the pumpkin from the heat and mash it roughly into a very chunky mash rather than a purée. Transfer to a 20cm x 30cm enamel, glass or ceramic baking dish and scatter the grated cheese over the top.

Step 6 Bake until golden brown, garnish with the extra parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 8 as a starter

Prep time 15 minutes Cooking time 40 minutes

TIPS & TRICKS: Use coconut or macadamia oil and nutritional yeast options for dairy-free. You don’t want the pumpkin to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn before it cooks, so you’ll need a heavy-based saucepan or stockpot or a flameproof casserole dish. I use an enamelled cast-iron casserole dish.

Images and text from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart, photography by Cath Muscat. Murdoch Books, RRP $36.99

The cover of Low Tox Life Food, by Alexx Stuart.
Camera IconThe cover of Low Tox Life Food, by Alexx Stuart. Credit: Murdoch Books

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