Pumpkins – Don’t Be Spooked

 

Pumpkins are a culinary metaphor for fall and winter menus. And think of those yearly holiday feasts - what would a Thanksgiving feast be without pumpkin pie?

Their protective hard shells give them an extended shelf life and their unique earthy sweet taste make these squashes delicious additions to salads, soups, side dishes and desserts. With a little imagination you can easily discover new and exciting ways to add them to your menus. Pumpkins love cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, ginger, sage, thyme and cumin and pair well with apples, pecans, walnuts, coconut and bacon (doesn’t everything)

The pumpkin is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family - this includes: cucumbers, melons, squashes, hard squashes and gourds. This “New World” fruit is believed to have evolved in Central America. Seeds dating from 5500 B.C. have been found in Mexican archeological sites. The shelled pumpkin seeds – pepitas - are still an important element in traditional Mexican cooking today.

Of course we know that the pumpkin was one of the many foods used by Native Americans during colonization by Europeans and were a supposed part of the first Thanksgiving dinner. Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to introduce them to Europe.

Native Americans had many food uses for the pumpkin including soups, breads and dried as a winter food source. They also made pumpkin mats for trade. Pounded strips were dried and then woven into useful shapes.

As with the other delicious discoveries the colonists made, the pumpkin became a staple American food joining corn, beans, squashes, cranberries and maple syrup.

The word pumpkin comes from the Greek, pepon, - large melon. The French changed the spelling to pompon, and the English named it pumpion or pompion, a term that dates back to 1547. American colonists completed its evolutionary nomenclature naming it pumpkin.

A plethora of varieties : Aside from giant contest varieties like Big Moon, Bix Max and Atlantic Giant, many pumpkins like the Ghost Rider, Spooktacular, Harvest Moon, Frosty and Jackpot are grown just for carving. But our favorite edible varieties include: Sugar Pie, Baby Pam, Baby Bear and Triple Treat.

Interestingly some varieties are also grown to feed livestock.

Pumpkins and fitness: The pumpkin is particularly rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium. It is known to prevent arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which can lead to strokes and/or heart attacks. Pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc and unsaturated fatty acids, which are effective fighters of prostate ailments. A study by the USDA suggests that diets high in pumpkin fiber tended to curb the appetite. Subjects also tended to absorb less fat and calories from their food. My wife also found an article that suggested that adding pumpkin to a cat’s diet helps prevent hairballs.

 Cooking with pumpkins – don’t be spooked

The Sugar Pie pumpkin, my favorite and the easiest to find, is perfect for baking, soups and side dishes.

The easiest way to prepare these three to five pound squash is to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds (remembering to save them for snacks) and then roast at 350°F - cut side down - on a parchment - lined baking sheet. This takes about an hour. Let them cool and then scoop the cooked flesh out of the shell with a large spoon. The cooked “meat” may then be mashed, buttered and seasoned as a vegetable or pureed and used in pies, cakes, ice cream and other desserts. Another easy cooking method is to peel and seed the pumpkins then dice the flesh for sautéing, steaming or roasting.

If want to make pumpkin soup, use the seeds and skin for a vegetable stock then boil the skinless meat in the broth. When the pumpkin is tender strain off the stock and reserve. Puree the cooked pumpkin in a blender or food processor adding the broth a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Return the pumpkin puree to the pot and add cream or yogurt and other flavorings like rum and nutmeg to create a fall soup like no other - easy peasy.

Side Bar: Roasting the seeds  

Tips: wash first to remove most of the stringy material, and then toss with a little salad oil and kosher salt. Toast on a baking sheet at 350°F for about 5 minutes. These should be eaten outside since you will still have to deal with the shells.

Le Menu

Pumpkin Risotto Fritters 

Fettuccine Pasta with Pumpkin, Gorgonzola Cheese and Pancetta

Pumpkin- Pecan Swirl Cheesecake With Caramelized Pears

 

Pumpkin Risotto Fritters

Ingredients

Makes 16 pieces

2 c. chicken or vegetable stock

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tbsp. butter

3/4 c. Arborio rice

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. salt

1 3 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella or cheese of choice,

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. salt

Preparation

Heat stock. In separate pan, sauté onion and pepper in butter until soft. Add rice, cook, stirring about 1 minute. Add 1/2 c. stock and stir until it is absorbed. Continue to simmer adding stock, 1/2 c. at a time until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Cool. Cut cheese into 1/2 - inch dice (16 pieces).

Make 16 golf ball sized balls. Place a ball in the palm of your hand (moisten palm with water to ease sticking). Push 1 piece of cheese into center of each ball and wrap risotto around it so that it is completely enclosed. Mix the breadcrumbs with the salt. Roll the balls in the panko breadcrumbs and set aside. When all risotto balls are coated, fry in hot oil until crispy.

 

 

Fettuccine Pasta with Pumpkin, Gorgonzola Cheese and Pancetta

Serves four

Ingredients

1 lb. of fresh fettuccine or 8 oz. of dry pasta (we've been using gluten free pastas available in most markets)

1 pound of fresh “sugar pie” pumpkin (about 1/4 of a 5 pound pumpkin)

1/2 bunch sage

1 tbsp. sweet butter

2 cloves garlic

2 shallots

4 oz. of pancetta or bacon

2 oz. of dry vermouth*

1/2 c. of dry white wine (*you can substitute chicken stock for alcohol)

1 oz. of white wine vinegar (we like the white balsamic from Trader Joe's)

2 c. of whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. of chard leaves

4 oz. of Gorgonzola cheese

1 tbsp. pumpkin seed oil (optional)

Preparation

Peel and dice pumpkin into 1/2 cubes. Place pumpkin chunks on an oiled cookie sheet, sprinkle with sage. Roast at 350°F 10 to 20 minutes or until soft. Mash half of the cooked pumpkin and set aside.

In a 2-quart sauce pot, sweat garlic and finely chopped shallots until soft. Add diced pancetta and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Drain off as much of the oils as possible. Add wine, vermouth and vinegar. Reduce by 1/2. Add the cream and mashed pumpkin, blending well. Simmer for 5 minutes taking care not to let the sauce boil over.

In a separate pot cook the pasta in salted water, do not add oil to the water, this will retard the cooking process. Cook 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta, 8-10 minutes for dry.

Wash chard; remove the stem and chop leaves into one-inch dice (stems may be reserved for use with other dishes)

Add the chard and pumpkin chunks to the sauce, season and cook 2 minutes. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, divide into 4 serving bowls and top with crumbled or diced Gorgonzola and sprinkle with pumpkin seed oil.

 

Pumpkin- Pecan Swirl Cheesecake With Caramelized Pears

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

Crust;

1 1/2 c. graham cracker or gingersnap crumbs

1 c. finely chopped candied pecans

Pinch salt

6 tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake

Ingredients

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs (room temp)

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

dash ground cloves

2 c. ground candied pecans

whole candied pecan halves for garnish

 

Candied Pecans

Ingredients

2 c. water

2 c. sugar

4 c. pecan halves

Preparation

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Lower heat and add pecans. Gently boil (adding more water if needed to keep nuts covered) for about 1 hour or until nuts are translucent in center when broken. Sauté, fry or bake until crisp.

Makes 4 c.

 

Caramelized Pears;

3 ripe pears, peeled, halved and cored

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation

Sprinkle pears with sugars and broil or bake in the oven until browned.

Preparation for cheesecake assembly

Combine crust ingredients together and press into 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

For pears mix sugars together. Make several cuts lengthwise 3/4 way through pear halves and fan out. Place pears on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugars and bake in 350 oven until nicely browned.  Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Reserve 1  1/2 c. of the plain batter. Stir pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon 1/2 of the pumpkin batter over crust, top with spoonfuls of 1/2 of the reserved plain batter, and 1/2 of the ground pecans. Repeat cheese layers. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect, taking care not to dislodge the crust. Make a small border around the edge of the cake with the remaining nuts.

Bake 325 about 1 hour or until center is almost set. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Serve with additional candied pecans and caramelized pears.