Seasonal Recipes

Pumpkin

Originally posted early October but definitely worth another look with the addition of a pumpkin curry recipe.

With Autumn comes the pumpkin season and this great, fat, spherical gem deserves more than being sculpted into a lantern for Halloween. You will find there is a lot of mileage in one modestly priced pumpkin.

Don't throw away the seeds. Clean them and lay them on an oiled baking tray, in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and roast for 20-25 minutes, they can be scattered on top of your soup, added to salads, eaten as healthy snacks or stored in an airtight container to use at a later date.

After the flesh has been scooped out , why not use it for some of these tempting dishes.

Pumpkin and Apple Soup with Pumpkin Crisps V

Pumpkin Risotto V

Pasta Pumpkin and Bacon with Pumpkin Sauce

Pumpkin Curry V

Pumpkin and Apple Soup

Ingredients

2 onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

500g Pumpkin

2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

300ml dry cider

570ml vegetable stock

2 tbsp olive oil

Freshly grated nutmeg

For the Pumpkin crisps

Thin shavings of Pumpkin

Vegetable oil for frying

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and add the onions and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes to soften. Add the pumpkin and apple and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the cider and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cool the soup down a little before blending. Return the soup to the pan add freshly grated nutmeg and heat through without boiling.

Fry the Pumpkin shaving in hot vegetable oil until golden, drain onto kitchen paper and serve on top of the soup.

Pumpkin Risotto

1 large Pumpkin, quartered

3tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

400g risotto rice

1.5 Lt's vegetable stock

150g grated Parmesan

60g butter

1 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas 6

Drizzle the Pumpkin quarters with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until soft. (This will give the soup a nice nutty flavour). Scoop out the flesh, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a heated pan and sweat the onions, garlic and celery for 1-2 minutes, add a pinch of salt then the risotto rice, stir for 1 minute.

Add the stock and cooked, chopped Pumpkin and keep stirring for 12-15 minutes.

Test the rice by squeezing a grain between your thumb and index finger, if there is a white line running through the centre of the grain, it is ready.

Add the grated Parmesan, butter and Sage, stir gently to combine.

Rest the risotto for a couple of minutes and serve in warm bowls.

Pasta Pumpkin and Bacon with Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients

500g Macaroni

200g smoked bacon lardons

200g Pumpkin, diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce

2 shallots, chopped

30g butter

75ml sherry

200ml sweet white wine

1 garlic clove, chopped

250ml vegetable stock

50ml double cream

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

2 sage leaves, finely chopped

500g Pumpkin, roughly chopped

To make the sauce

Melt the butter and soften the onion and garlic, add the chopped Pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes to soften the Pumpkin. Remove the vegetables and de-glaze the pan with the sherry and wine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring continually.

Add the stock and return the vegetables to the pan, add the chopped Sage, cook for 20 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.

Cook the Macaroni, drain and set aside

Fry the bacon, onion and diced Pumpkin in olive oil until soft.

Add the bacon mixture and cooked Macaroni to the sauce, stir to combine.

Serve with a crispy green salad dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Tip: If you are roasting your Pumpkin seeds to use as snacks try replacing the salt with garlic salt or adding Cayenne pepper or herbs.

Pumpkin Curry V

Ingredients

500g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1" root ginger, peeled and grated

1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped

2 tsp ground Coriander

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp ground Cumin

1 dessertspoon Garam Masala

1 400g tin coconut milk

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Coriander leaves and dessicated coconut to garnish

Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan, over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add ginger and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring continuously add all the spices except Garam Masala and cook for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin and stir to coat.

Pour over the coconut milk, turn down the heat and simmer, without a lid until the pumpkin is tender, taste and season, turn off the heat and sprinkle over the Garam Masala leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve on a bed of brown rice, garnished with coriander leaves and a little dessicated coconut.

Tip

An ideal supper for bonfire night or Halloween. Make it the night before and the flavours will really come through. Leave the Garam Masala and garnishes until just before serving.