In the colder months, what could be better than a sweet roasted pumpkin tart with creamy ricotta? Pumpkins are in season now in Australia and it’s one of those staple ‘wintery’ foods that doesn’t need to be overly complicated to be utterly delicious. Here’s our recipe for Pumpkin tart from the #SoupedUpKitchen, which you can jazz up with feta if you’re looking for more of a salty uplift.
Why we love pumpkin for aged care?
Apart from its comfort factor, pumpkin has a lot to offer nutritionally, as a good source of the carotenoids – lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids are what give pumpkins their orange/yellow colour and are strong antioxidants in their own right. Like carrots, carotenoids accumulate in the retina. Once in the eyes these carotenoids can help protect against age related declines in vision, such as macular degeneration and the formation of cataracts.
Texture modified? The recipe easily adapts to PU4 or MM5 by simply mashing and baking filling separately in a half tray without the pastry. Voila!
Made it? Snap a photo and hashtag it #soupeduprecipes. We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook!
Method
1. Cut pastry into rounds to suit individual pie tins. 2. Season/spice pumpkin well, and bake until just soft. Pumpkin is great spiced with smoked paprika, or Moroccan spice mix. 3. Mix together eggs, milk and ricotta until smooth. 4. Divide the pumpkin between the pie tins, and pour over the ricotta mix. 5. Sprinkle with chopped thyme and cubed feta. 6. Bake for 20 minutes at 180oC. To modify for PU4 pureed diets, simply bake some filling separately in a half tray, without the pastry.