You've carved the pumpkin, but what's next?
The humble pumpkin is a much-underused fruit, once a year it makes an appearance, it’s contents is scooped out and thrown away, only for the shell to aluminated and follow into the bin a few days later.
Pumpkin is full of taste, and flavour not to mention the minerals and vitamins we can obtain. It’s a great source of potassium and beta-carotene, which helps protect your eyesight. It also contains minerals including calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamins E, C and some B vitamins.
If it hasn’t been on your menu before, why not try it this weekend, I hear it may be a quiet one…
Below I’ve added a few recipes let me know what you think.
Recipe 1 - Pumpkin Curry with Chickpeas
Time - 40 minutes
Difficulty - 2/5
Ingredients
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tbsp Thai Curry paste
2 onions, finely chopped
3 large stalks of lemongrass, bashed
6 cardamon pods
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 kg of pumpkin or squash
250 ml vegetable stock
400 ml light coconut milk
400 g chickpeas, drained
2 limes
Large handful of mint
Naan, to serve
Method
Heat the oil and gently fry the curry paste, onions, lemongrass, cardamom pods and mustard seed for 2-3 mins.
Stir the pumpkin or squash into the pan and coat in the paste, pour in the stock and coconut milk. Bring everything to a simmer, add the chickpeas, then cook for about 10 mins or until the pumpkin is tender.
Squeeze the juice of one lime into the curry, then cut the other lime into wedges to serve alongside.
Just before serving, tear over mint leaves, then bring to the table with the lime wedges and warm naan bread.
Recipe 2 - Pumpkin Soup
Time - 45 minutes
Difficulty - 2/5
Ingredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped
700 ml vegetable stock
150 ml double cream
Method
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan add the onions and cook until soft.
Add the pumpkin to the pan cook for 8-10 mins until it starts to soften and turn golden.
Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and season. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the pumpkin is very soft.
Pour in the double cream and bring back to the boil. Purée with a hand blender and serve.
Recipe 3 - Stuffed Pumpkin
Time - 75 minutes
Difficulty - 2/5
Ingredients
1kg pumpkin
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
100 g wild rice
1 large fennel bulb
1 Bramley apple
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30 g pecans, roughly chopped
1 large pack of parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp tahini
Pomegranate seeds, to serve
Method
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the top off the pumpkin or squash and use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds.
Put the pumpkin on a baking tray, rub with 2 tbsp of the oil inside and out, and season well. Roast in the centre of the oven for 45 mins or until tender, with the ‘lid’ on the side.
Begin to cook the rice following pack instructions, then spread out on a baking tray to cool.
Thinly slice the fennel bulb and apple, squeeze over ½ the lemon juice to stop them discolouring.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry the fennel seeds and chilli flakes, once the seeds begin to pop, stir in ½ the garlic and the fennel. Cook for 5 mins, Mix through the apple, pecans and lemon zest.
Remove from the heat. Add the mixture to the cooked rice, stirring in the chopped parsley.
Pack the mixture into the cooked pumpkin and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until everything is piping hot.
Whisk the remaining lemon juice with the tahini, the rest of the garlic and enough water to make a dressing. Serve the pumpkin in the middle of the table, topped with pomegranate seeds and the dressing.
Recipe 4 - Pumpkin Hummus
Time - 60 minutes
Difficulty - 2/5
Ingredients
500 g pumpkin
Rapeseed oil, for roasting
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp tahini paste
400 g chickpeas, drained
1 red & yellow pepper, deseeded & sliced
Pitta bread, to serve
Method
Cut the top off the pumpkin, about two-thirds of the way up. Remove the pumpkin seeds, then scoop the flesh out of the bottom and the lid.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the pumpkin flesh into pieces and put in a roasting tin with the garlic and a good glug of oil. Season, then bake for 45 mins until very tender. Leave to cool.
Tip the pumpkin into a food processor with any juices from the roasting tin and the garlic. Add the lemon juice, tahini paste and chickpeas. Season, and blend to a paste – add a little more oil if it's too thick.
Scoop the hummus back into the pumpkin and serve with the peppers, and pitta chips.
Recipe 5 - Prawn, Pumpkin & Coconut Stew
Time - 45 minutes
Difficult - 2/5
Ingredients
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, deseeded & crushed
3 cm cube of fresh ginger, grated
400 ml light coconut milk
750 ml fish, chicken or vegetable stock
350 g pumpkin, peeled and cut
150 g waxy baby potatoes, halved
20 g fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks chopped
400 g large prawns, shelled
1 - 2 limes, juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
Method
Halve the onion, and into 2 cm wedges. Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic, chillies and ginger, and cook for 2 mins. Add the coconut cream, stock and seasoning. Heat carefully, but don’t let it boil.
Add the pumpkin and potato, season again, and the coriander stalks. Simmer until the pumpkin and potatoes are tender. Use a wooden spoon to squash some of the pumpkins if you want the stew a little thicker.
Add the prawns and spinach. Cook gently until the prawns are opaque. Stir in the lime juice, and fish sauce. Taste and adjust the flavour with more lime or fish sauce as needed. If you need it a little sweeter you can and a tsp of sugar.
Roughly chop the coriander leaves, and stir them through. Top each portion of the stew with some sliced red chilli, and serve with lime wedges on the side.
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