My parents grow pumpkins and store them in a dark and airy room while they slowly mature. As a symbol of the beginning of the season, the first pumpkin is eaten for Rosh Hashanah, where in Rome we do a short "Seder" and pumpkin is one of the symbolic foods. Here is a lovely frittata baked in the oven and eaten in little squares. You can also cook it in the traditional way - in a non-stick frying pan on the stove and then sliced like a cake. If you can't find pumpkin you can use butternut squash instead.

Time: 1 hour. Makes about 30-40 square bites or a large round frittata.

Ingredients

● 8 eggs
● 800g potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
● 800g pumpkin/butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
● 1 tsp cinnamon
● 2 onions, finely chopped
● 2-3 gloves of garlic, crushed
● Small bunch of fresh lemon thyme
● Extra virgin olive oil
● Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

● Preheat the oven to 200°C/380°F/gas Mark 6 and line a roasting tin or ovenproof dish of about 40 x 30cm with greaseproof paper.
● Rinse the diced vegetables. Drain well and place in a large and flat oven tray with the onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and a generous splash of olive oil. Mix well and roast until golden - about 40 minutes.
● While the pumpkin and potato roast, beat the eggs in a large bowl with the cinnamon, salt and pepper.
● Once the potato and pumpkin are cooked and golden, leave them to cool for 5 minutes. Then mix 2/3 of the roast potatoes and pumpkin with the egg mixture. Pour into the oven tray or dish.
● Finally, spread the remaining potatoes and pumpkin on top so it will give a lovely vibrant colour to the frittata.
● Bake in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes using the grill for the last couple of minutes if you want a golden finish. Cool down for 5 minutes and cut into squares of about 3x3 cm each.
● Serve warm or at room temperature.