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Pumpkins
are a type of gourd that many think of as a vegetable, but
it's really a fruit. While often thought of as a
vegetable, when you sample a delicious pumpkin bisque soup,
pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice bread, you'll consider this
delightful sweet, tempting,
satisfying food with qualities described as fruity, perhaps.
While
pumpkins are part of the Halloween season and its traditions
in October, you'll find pumpkin dishes served in late
November and even December as part of the Christmas meal.
From the carved jack-o-lantern that lights the way for trick
or treaters to the pumpkin seeds available in health food
stores throughout the year, pumpkins serve both as a
decoration and a tasty food.
Curried
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 lg. jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 3/4 lb. pumpkin, peeled, -seeded, and cut -into 1-inch
dice
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. sour cream
Heat 1 tbsp. of the olive oil in a medium pot over medium
heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring
occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.
Add jalapeno and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin,
chicken stock, bay leaf, curry, turmeric, cayenne, 1 tsp. of
the salt, and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce
heat and cook about 8 minutes. Place 2 cups of the
cooked vegetables and about 1/2 cups of the liquid in the
bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Stir puree
back into the soup. Adjust seasonings, and stir in the sour
cream.
Pumpkin Soup
Served in a Pumpkin Shell
Small pumpkins 4 to 6 inches in diameter for serving the
soup in
3 cups fresh, cooked pumpkin
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dry sherry
4 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup diced celery
1 sprig of fresh thyme
pinch of cracked pepper as needed for seasoning
Cut the top off each pumpkin to create lids for
the pumpkin serving bowl. Scoop out the seeds and strings,
cleaning the inside well of any debris.
In a large soup pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter over a medium
heat. Sauté the onion, celery and garlic, about 10 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, sherry and chicken broth. Blend in well
with a whisk. Add the thyme sprig. Simmer for an additional
20 minutes. Remove thyme sprig. Remove the mixture from the
heat and puree in a blender. Be careful to puree small
amounts of the hot mixture with the blender top on to avoid
having the mixture burst out of the blender. Return the
mixture to the pot. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in a
separate sauce pan. Whisk in 2 tbsp of flour. Whisk in the
cream. Blend well. Cook for one minute. Whisk the flour,
butter and cream mixture into pumpkin puree. Simmer for 5
minutes more.
Heat the pumpkin shell in a 200ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes
before adding soup to keep the soup warm for a longer period
of time.
Pour soup into hollowed out pumpkin serving bowl.
Pumpkin
Pie
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9-inch pie crust, unbaked
Combine pumpkin, sugar,
salt, ginger, cinnamon, and flour. Add eggs; mix well. Add
evaporated milk, water and vanilla; mix well. Pour pumpkin
pie mixture into a 9-inch pastry lined pie pan.
Preheat oven to 425°. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce
heat to 350° and bake pumpkin pie for about 35 minutes
longer, until pumpkin pie is set. Let pumpkin cool and serve
with whipped cream.
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium eggs
8 ounces solid pack pumpkin or equivalent fresh pumpkin
puree
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour one 9x5x3-inch loaf
pan. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs
and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking
soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir
into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts. Bake
until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1
hour 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 10 minutes. Using
sharp knife, cut around edge of loaf. Turn loaf onto rack
and cool. Makes one loaf.
Spicy Pumpkin Cookies
2 1/4 to 2 3/4 c. all
purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spices or nutmeg, cinnamon and clove
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 16 oz. can pumpkin or equivalent puree
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 12 oz. pkg. vanilla or white chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl combine flour,
soda, salt and spices. Set aside. In large mixer bowl beat
butter and sugar until creamy. Add pumpkin, eggs and
vanilla, gradually adding flour mixture. Stir in vanilla
chips and walnuts.
Drop cookies by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto well
greased cookie sheet. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until edges are
lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove from cookie
sheet and cool completely.
Pumpkin Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat
oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Cream together
butter with brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and
vanilla. Beat in pumpkin purée. In another bowl, combine
flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg,
ginger, and clove. Add to butter mixture and beat well to
combine. Add raisins and nuts in 2 batches, mixing between
additions. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared
sheets. Bake about 18 minutes, until set, not browned.
Transfer to racks to cool. Makes 36 cookies.
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