Hello my loves,

Check out this absolute whopper!!! We harvested her from our garden this week, and while she looks like a pumpkin, she’s actually not. She’s in fact a Gramma squash - an old-school variety of squash that grows particularly well in NSW’s sub-tropical climate, and has been grown here since at least the 1850s. She has an intensely bright orange interior, and a gorgeously rich pumpkin flavour.

She’s SO fragrant when cut, it almost smells like you’re slicing a melon! But rather than having the dense consistency of a pumpkin, her flesh is more like a marrow - definitely much lighter, and with a higher moisture content too.

Our Gramma is a compost special, meaning we didn’t plant her - she sprouted herself from seeds in last year's compost pile. She’s been quietly expanding for months, solid and stable in her spot near the edge of the herb patch. We knew she was big, but it wasn’t till we harvested her and brought her inside that we realised just how big! Eleven splendid kilos or thereabouts, much of which has now been distributed to pumpkin and squash-loving neighbours.

If you have an Australian grandma, she might have used this harvest to make a traditional Gramma pie - a sweet delight particular to olden-time Australia that has vague references to the American pumpkin pie, but looks to be a simpler, slightly tangier mix thanks to a dial-back on the spices and the addition of lemon juice. I used part of my Gramma to go full USA and created a gorgeous sweet spiced pumpkin (Gramma!) pie, which I’ve been enjoying with lashings of whipped cream. And I also made something else rather delightful, and it’s that recipe I’m sharing today: my pumpkin (or Gramma!) and sage gratin. This is a lovely way to use gorgeously seasonal pumpkin, or Gramma if you happen to see it - both will work equally well. It’s beautiful as a belly-warming side to a yummy piece of meat, or standing proudly as the main offering, perhaps accompanied by some leafy winter greens.

And so my darlings, I shall leave you with my Gramma delight, as I mosey into another weekend. It’s knitting for me, and guess what??!! I HAVE FINISHED THE BACK OF THE SWEATER!! And I just need you to know that the back of a man’s sweater is really quite big, so I’m a bit proud of it! I’ve now swung around to the front panel and am anticipating a weekend clicking quietly away in my preferred corner of the couch. Sending you all my love for a wonderful weekend at your end 💛.

Pumpkin (or Gramma) and sage gratin

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
100g rice
1kg pumpkin or Gramma squash
40g duck fat (or you can use olive oil, but the duck fat does add a lovely luxuriousness)
3 large sprigs sage, leaves finely sliced
150g cream
1 egg
Salt and pepper
40g gruyere or any other hard cheese

Heat the oven to 200C. Cook the rice and set aside. Peel the pumpkin and cut into 1cm cubes. Heat the duck fat in a large pan, and add the pumpkin. Cook over a medium heat till the pumpkin is soft, stirring frequently so the pumpkin doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Once the pumpkin is soft, turn the heat off and stir vigorously to create a mash. Add the sage and cream and stir well to combine. Add the cooked rice and stir through. Cool the mixture for 5-10 mins. Beat the egg with a fork, then add to the pumpkin mixture and stir quickly until well combined. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Grease a 23cm (9 inch) baking dish and pour the mixture in. Grate the gruyere and sprinkle it over the top. Bake in the oven for 40 mins or until the filling is slightly puffed and the top is golden and crunchy.

Love, Rachel xxx