You can also retain and dry, then roast the pumpkin seeds
Roast the pumpkin wedges in the oven until golden and well caramelised
Retain some nice pieces to garnish, purée the remaining roasted pumpkin in a blender until smooth
Reserve until later
Put vegetable stock in a pan to heat
Sweat the diced shallot in a little olive oil until completely soft
Then add the pearl barley and 50g of butter and lightly ‘roast’ the grains in the butter, without adding any colour
When the grains appear translucent on the outside begin adding the heated stock, one ladle at a time, whilst stirring very gently but continuously to avoid the grains sticking to the pan
Continue ladling stock and cooking until the grains are almost cooked through
Then stir in a 50g of butter and some of the pumpkin purée to create a nice orange colour
When at the right consistency, remove from the heat and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds, the retained pumpkin pieces, chopped chives, crispy watercress leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and parmesan shavings