In its Eat Well for Less series, OFM asked 10 chefs to make a meal for four whose ingredients cost £5 or less – barring items that would already be in the household cupboard, such as olive oil, soy sauce, dried herbs and spices.
This is a gorgeous, warming dish. We love it in my family because it's cheap, delicious, healthy and perfect for quiet nights in front of the fire. All the ingredients are found easily in any supermarket and it doesn't take long to prepare at all. And because pumpkin is so fleshy and sweet, you feel perfectly full afterwards. I create dishes like this regularly at my restaurant. And if you fancy going over the £5, you can always add some shavings of good Spanish cheese such as cabrales, or substitute pine nuts for the walnuts.
Serves 4
small onion 1
garlic 1 bulb
good olive oil 1 tbsp
chopped tomatoes 1 tin
pumpkin 1 small, cut into 2.5cm-sized cubes to give 800g of flesh (or use a large squash)
chickpeas 1 tin, drained
baby spinach 1 bag
walnuts 50g, roughly chopped
TOTAL £4.67 from Waitrose and local greengrocer
Chop a small onion and a whole bulb of garlic and add to 1 tbsp of good olive oil to let sizzle in a pan. After a few minutes add the can of tomatoes and fry off all the juice, gently.
Add the pumpkin along with 800ml of chicken or vegetable stock (cube or fresh if you have it). Let all the ingredients simmer away until the pumpkin is tender. Add the drained chickpeas and just before you are about to serve it, add the bag of baby spinach which will wilt after a minute or two. Season to taste, and once served in lovely bowls, scatter some chopped walnuts over each plate. You could also serve this with fresh bread to mop up the juices.
Pizarro, 194 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ; josepizarro.com
