Tom Holland recently tried pumpkin for the first time, and now he can’t get enough of it! The British actor sampled the tasty gourd Wednesday, November 21, during a Thanksgiving cooking lesson with Avengers codirector Joe Russo and chef Jessica Largey, who whipped up a pumpkin-based dish that has since won Holland’s heart.
Largey, who was cooking in the kitchen of Los Angeles restaurant Simone, which Russo is part owner of, threw together a delicious combo of kabocha squash – also known as Japanese pumpkin – chanterelle mushrooms, kale and passion fruit.
“I think I’ve had pumpkin seeds,” Holland said prior to tasting the dish. “But I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten a pumpkin.”
“You’re going to love this pumpkin,” Russo assured the Spider-Man: Homecoming star.
Replied Holland, 22, “It’s hard that I’m starting with probably the best pumpkin I’ll ever have. Every pumpkin after this will be a disappointment.”
And Russo was right. Holland did fall head over heels for his first pumpkin-centric meal. “That’s so good,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “So, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
The Avengers: Infinity War actor also praised other elements of Largey’s dish, adding, “That’s so good, the passionfruit as well. And the kale is crunchy so there’s a nice like textural thing.”
Though he may be a pumpkin neophyte, Holland has picked up a few impressive kitchen skills and meal prep hacks. The U.K.-born actor recalled recently learning about a recipe on Instagram that calls for cheese to be placed at the bottom of a mug, followed by layers of basil, tomato sauce, and rigatoni, which is then topped with another helping of cheese. “You put a plate on, flip it that way and bake it. Then you take it off and you have a pasta pie — it’s really good and it’s super easy to do and it looks way more impressive than it actually is,” Holland explained. “That’s my go-to.”
