English-born chef Alice Nettleton learnt to cook at Ireland’s famous Ballymaloe House in Cork, but it’s in the Adelaide Hills where she now lives that she says she feels most at home.
Here, she’s been able to share her extensive culinary knowledge as an instructor at Stirling’s Sticky Rice Cooking School and embrace her love of local seasonal produce through her own business, Quince Catering.
Over the Easter long weekend, Nettleton will create delicious treats at the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival’s food and wine precinct, The Paddock.
“I feel so lucky to live in the Adelaide Hills,” she says. “It’s a beautiful paradise surrounded by so many talented artisans and an abundance of fantastic produce to cook with.”
In this year’s The Paddock precinct, Nettleton will serve her honey-glazed spiced roast pumpkin with chickpeas, lentils and toasted pepita alongside Wagyu beef, pulled lamb and vegetarian burgers from The Locavore in Stirling, Vietnamese banh mi rolls and jars of pate, rillettes and terrines from McLaren Vale’s Little Acre Foods, salted caramel and chocolate tarts and chocolate truffles from Stirling’s chocolatier Red Cacao, and local wines from Golding, Sidewood and Somerled.
The idea is that you can create your own picnic from The Paddock produce on the day – or using the recipe that Nettleton shares here with InDaily readers, you can make at batch to enjoy at home.
Honey-glazed spiced roast pumpkin with chickpeas, lentils and toasted pepitas
Ingredients
20g kabuli chickpeas
400g red nugget lentils
100g wild rice
200g freekeh
1 butternut pumpkin, cut into large cubes
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin, freshly ground
1 tsp coriander, freshly ground
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 bunches coriander, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Juice of 2 to 3 lemons
100ml olive oil to drizzle
Toasted sesame seeds and pepitas to sprinkle
Method
Soak chickpeas overnight.
Cook all grains and pulses separately. To cook, rinse first, then cover with water and bring to boil. Turn temperature down to a simmer and cook until soft. You might need to skim any foam that forms at the side of the saucepan during cooking. Strain and cool.
Toss pumpkin with honey, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, olive oil and salt and pepper; place in a baking tray and roast in oven at 200C, until cooked through. Allow to cool.
Mix grains and chickpeas together and dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix in most of the chopped herbs and toss through half of the pumpkin.
Serve a large bowl and decorate with the remaining pumpkin, herbs and toasted seeds.
Serves 5
The Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival is on Saturday, April 4, and Monday, April 6. More information can be found here.
