The Pumpkin Patch

by R. Ohlgren-Evans

Must pumpkin always be pie? Certainly not! In this country today, we use the pumpkin largely for pies and other desserts, but in various countries around the world, the pumpkin is an important part of savory dishes as well. Curried pumpkin is often served in Thailand. Spicy pumpkin-based soups are common in the West Indies. Pumpkin is often paired with beans throughout South and Central America. And if you visit a local vegetable market in central Europe, a chunk of pumpkin might be included with the soup greens you purchased. In our own country, the northeastern Native Americans introduced pilgrims to pumpkins, which were stuffed with wild apples and cranberries—it was a sustaining food in the early years of colonial America.

Pumpkin is a highly nutritious food deserving serious culinary attention. It contains over 52,000 International Units of vitamin A per cup and is a good source of minerals and fiber. Pumpkin stores well for up to five months, if kept in a cool dry place or root cellar, and pumpkin puree freezes very nicely too.

When purchasing, it's best not to buy pumpkins that resemble Cinderella's coach or a perfect jack-o-lantern. These are called field pumpkins. They are edible but are not the best choice. Pumpkin varieties grown specifically for cooking are called 'pie' or 'sugar' pumpkins. They have a smaller seed cavity, more flesh and are less stringy. They are recognizable by their smaller size, heavy weight and thicker stems. However—when I'm preparing my jack-o-lanterns from those field pumpkins, after I seed the beast, I scrape the pumpkin's inside walls to about 1-inch thick, to make them easier to carve. Depending on the size of the pumpkin, this method can yield a pound or two of scraped pumpkin ready to cook and use for soup or bread.

Some recipes ask you to peel raw pumpkin. Simply cut off a portion of pumpkin that is easy to hold in your hand and peel the skin with a sharp paring knife. To prepare puree, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut pumpkin in half and wash. Scrape out seeds (save those seeds to roast later!) and thready pulp. Bake skin-side-up on a cookie sheet until pumpkin is tender enough to pierce with a fork—about 45 minutes. To keep a pumpkin from drying out, cover loosely with foil and add a small amount of water. Cool and peel skin off with a paring knife. Use a food processor or a potato masher to puree. One pound of pumpkin will yield about one cup of puree.

Pumpkin is a tasty side dish when served boiled or baked all by itself, perhaps with a little butter or black pepper, and it's a wonderful addition to your favorite stew. You can substitute pumpkin in any recipe calling for winter squash, or choose one of the following dishes to spice up your dinner table this autumn.

Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

4 large onions, sliced
4 tsp olive oil
1 3/4 c stock or water
1 lb pumpkin, peeled and diced
piece of habanero pepper, minced
few dashes of aromatic bitters
freshly ground nutmeg

Saute the onions in butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, then add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the soup to cool and then puree in a blender. Adjust the seasoning and reheat before serving with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup yogurt
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 cups flour
optional: walnuts, raisins, sunflower seeds.

Combine pumpkin, sugar, honey, butter, milk and yogurt. Cream together and add the sifted dry ingredients. Fold in nuts or dried fruit. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Lemony Lentils with Pumpkin

3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup lentils
3 cups vegetable broth or water
3/4 lb. raw pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup sliced scallions

In a large saucepan add the onions, lentils and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover the pan. Simmer the lentils, stirring them occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin, lemon juice, parsley, ginger, salt, pepper and cumin, stirring to combine the ingredients well. Cover the pan and cook the mixture until pumpkin is tender (about 20-25 minutes). Before serving, toss the mixture with the scallions.

Pumpkin with Black Beans

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
3 scallions, sliced.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Add onion, garlic, and pumpkin and saute until the onion is softened. Add sherry and broth and simmer until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes. Add the beans, salt, cumin and thyme; continue to simmer until the beans are heated through. Garnish with scallions.

Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

This recipe serves two.

1 onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp butter
1/2 c. canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. heavy cream
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1/2 pound penne or other tubular pasta
3 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan, as an accompaniment

In a large skillet cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, in a kettle of salted boiling water boil the penne until it is al dente, ladle out and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, and drain the penne well.

Add the penne to the sauce; cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring and thinning the sauce as desired with some of the reserved cooking water, for 1-2 minutes, or until the pasta is coated well, and stir in the parsley. Serve with Parmesan.

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.