As a child you carved them, and perhaps as a teenager you smashed them on Halloween night. But now that you're an adult, author Dee Dee Stovel presents a challenge - cooking with them.
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Yep. We're talking about pumpkins. But Stovel makes it clear she's not talking about pie in Pumpkins: A Super Food for All 12 Months of the Year.
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Instead, she touts pumpkin as a year-round delicacy, capable of blending deliciously into most of your favorite dishes. From pumpkin pizza with gorgonzola cheese, to pumpkin smoothies, Stovel compiled 125 recipes in an effort to prove her case.
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"It just blends so well with many foods and lots of different spices and herbs," she says. "I've been adding it to practically anything. In cuisines other than American, it tends to be a savory thing. I don't think we think of it so much in a salad, an appetizer, a stew."
In the U.S., pumpkin is traditionally thought of in terms of Thanksgiving pies and Redi-Whip. Stovel says she soon realized most people had misconceptions and reservations at the thought of cooking with fresh pumpkin.
First off, the author says you really shouldn't cook with the pumpkins you carve. Their large size lends to a stringier pulp and a less-desirable taste. Stovet says she prefers cooking with small Sugar Pie pumpkins because of their smooth texture and sweet taste.
To cook a Sugar Pie pumpkin, Stovel says to poke holes in the shell with a knife (much like if you were cooking a baked potato), making sure your fork gets through the shell to the pulp inside. Then, stick the pumpkin in the microwave for 15 minutes, checking the progress every few minutes. The pumpkin is done when a fork pierces the skin with ease. Stovel's book also provides more detailed instructions for making your own basic pumpkin puree.
Of course, you can cook your pumpkin in the oven. It cooks just like a squash - simply cut it open, take out the seeds and the stringy parts, stick the two halves in a pan and bake until the pulp is soft. If those options seem too time consuming, the canned stuff works as well.
After completing her book, Stovel says she has started eating a pumpkin-infused dish at least once a week. In addition to pumpkin's versatility and appealing flavor, Stovel says she eats it for the health benefits. A member of the squash family, pumpkin is fat-free, low calorie (80 in one cup) and provides a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates. Pumpkins are also an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals.
But even if you aren't ready to jump into a pumpkinladen diet, just try out a few of the recipes from Stovel's book - for breakfast, lunch, or dinner - and see what you think.
And hey, if you don't like it, feel free to carve them up and turn them into jack-o-lanterns. But Stovel says she would be surprised if you do that. After all, she too was a skeptic who became convinced.
Orange pumpkin pancakes
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (if unavailable, use unbleached, all-purpose flour)
able, use unbleached, all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup canola oil
pure maple syrup and butter for serving
1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the orange juice, pumpkin, oil and eggs in a small bowl and stir into the flour mixture until you have a
4. Meanwhile, heat a large griddle over medium to medium-high heat. When a drop of water dances on the griddle, it's hot enough.The griddle shouldn't smoke, but it needs to be hot.You may have to reduce the heat of the bottoms get too dark before the tops are cooked through.
smooth batter.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake onto the hot griddle. Cook until the little bubbles form, then quickly flip the pancakes to the other side. Cook until just browned on the second side. Place on a serving plate and set in the oven while making the rest of the pancakes.
Thai pumpkin soup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove ginger, minced
2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 & 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 & 1/2 cups nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon Thai green curry paste pinch of dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan
freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
over medium heat. Saute the onion, ginger, and garlic in the butter until the onion is soft — about three minutes.
2. Place half the pumpkin, the coconut milk, milk, curry paste and thyme into a blender.Add the onion mixture and purée until smooth.
3. Pour the soup back in the pot, add the remaining pumpkin and continue to cook over medium heat until it is heated through but not boiling — about three minutes.
4. Season with the lime juice and salt and the pepper to taste. Adjust the seasonings. Serve hot. Scatter a few chopped peanuts over each serving.
Jayplay 10.27.05
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