Sambucus nigra ssp. mexicana – Elderberry, Tápiro
This year we made plenty of Elderberry Syrup from the bountiful late summer harvest. When I started to cube some sugar pumpkin the other night I thought about how we could fix it up for dessert. Fortunately, I remembered the Elderberry Syrup in the fridge. My daughter has been asking for toast with Elderberry jelly all week long so I thought this was sure to be a hit as well. So I combined the following in a glass baking dish and stirred it all together:
1 small Sugar Pumpkin, peeled and cubed
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – about 2 Tbl
Organic Coconut Oil – about 1/4 cup
Organic Unsalted Butter – about 2 Tbl
Cinnamon – a good amount
Cardamom and Clove – a little bit
Elderberry Syrup – several ounces
It baked at 375F for about 40 minutes as everything began to brown a bit. I stirred it several times to coat the pumpkin cubes evenly. I set it aside to cool, but not too long. I wanted to serve it hot and combine it with these other in-season ingredients. Just sprinkle the following over the top of the warm baked pumpkin cubes before serving:
Fresh Pomegranate seeds – a couple Tbl per serving
Finely chopped Pecans – 1-2 Tbl per serving
Pumpkin, Pomegranate, Pecan with Elderberry Syrup
This was awesome! If you’re in to dairy then I could see where some fresh cream would go really well here. Perhaps the Paleo eaters would enjoy some chilled Coconut milk, but it is great just as is.
Elderberry is an excellent herb for keeping your immune system “toned up” during the winter season. The more we can integrate herbs into our daily diet the easier it can become to experience the varied benefits of herbs.
