Fall always brings back some of the best memories of my childhood. So does baked pumpkin. Every time I bake this versatile, rich in flavour, great in texture vegetable, I go back to my early years in the middle of Transylvania. I feel like it was yesterday when I was sitting in the barn every evening with my grandparents, taking down the corn husk, arranging piles of ripened pumpkin, turnip and sunflower, preparing the grapes for must, putting in boxes tart but sweet apples and pears, smashing and eating green walnuts, roasting chestnuts and pumpkin seeds. The smell of generous autumn is something that cannot be replicated. When I remember this moments I only feel grateful for being able to experience this because thanks to it I am the way I am today, I appreciate simple but real things. The only sad thing is that I don't know if my kids will ever have the chance to build this kind of memories. 

Coming back to the present, last night I let the kitchen float in delicious waves of baked pumpkin, which was wearing a coat of sunflower oil, maple syrup, thyme, salt and pepper. I roasted it in a fire hot oven until crispy, layered it on a plate, topped it with a creamy-milky-silky buratta, drizzled some truffle oil, shaved some fresh black truffle and grinded black pepper. Every bite was a party for the tastebuds, I could feel the sweetness of the pumpkin emphasised by the maple syrup, the lovely thyme aroma, the smooth and delicate buratta touch and the elegant note of truffles. Enjoy this dish together with family or friends over casual dining or present it as a starter for a fancy dinner! And if you might not have fresh truffles and truffle oil in your kitchen, no need to worry. Simply drizzle whatever flavoured oil you might have and serve, still going to taste amazing.

Ingredients for 2:

• 500 gr. pumpkin
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. salt flakes
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp. grind pepper
• 1 buratta
• 1 tbsp. truffle infused oil
• 1 fresh black truffle

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 200'C.
2. Wash, peel and cut lengthwise the pumpkin.
3. Put the pumpkin in a large bowl and add thyme, salt flakes, maple syrup, sunflower oil and ground pepper. Mix to cover well.
4. Transfer the pumpkin in a baking dish and pop in the oven for 1 hour or until crispy (turn the pieces every 15 min.).
5. Take out of the oven and arrange the pumpkin on a large plate. 
6. Top with the buratta, break it in the middle, drizzle some truffle oil (just a few drops so the flavour will not overpower the entire dish) and grate the black truffle.