FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Pumpkin: More than a pretty face

I remember the years when I spent days sewing costumes (cow, policewoman, Beanie Baby…) for my daughters, applying the last stitch as they headed out the door to bang on doors and hold their bag open for candy.

Those were the days when I looked at a field of pumpkins, a row of pumpkins, or just a lone one sitting on my counter and could only see the project that lay ahead.

Those days are long gone. With no pressure to create the picture-perfect carved pumpkin, I now see pumpkins as inspiration for cooking. Pumpkins are good for you. They fit into a health-conscious diet. And they taste good.

Pumpkins are low in calories but high in fibre. They are also low in sodium. The seeds are high in protein, iron, and the B vitamins. Pumpkins are very high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant which converts into Vitamin A (researchers believe that eating a diet rich in beta-carotene may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers, and help delay aging).

I prefer to oven bake my pumpkin (Cinderella and Sugar Pie pumpkins work well for pies and baking; save the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins for carving).

Cut pumpkin in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds and stringy material. If the flesh looks fairly dry, cover the cut side of each pumpkin half with a piece of foil. If it is moist leave it uncovered. Place the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet and bake, foil side up in a preheated oven at 350 °F for about 1-1/2 hours or until the flesh is very tender when pierced with a fork. Don’t worry if the edges are browned. The natural sugars actually caramelize and give it a richer more complex flavor. When cool, scoop out the flesh.

Mash the flesh with a fork, potato masher, or puree with a food processor or blender. Then measure out what you need. A five pound pumpkin will yield about four cups of mashed, cooked pulp. If a recipe calls for a 16 oz can of pumpkin (if you do use canned, make sure it’s pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling), use about 2 cups. If your pumpkin pulp is too watery, drain it in a sieve or cheesecloth.

Don’t forget about the seeds. A pumpkin will yield about a cup of seeds.

Very Easy Pumpkin Soup

2 cups chicken stock

3 cups pumpkin (cooked sweet pumpkin or canned)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic. Working in batches, place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process till smooth. Pour into pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. The soup can be made a day ahead to allow melding of flavours.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds and Peanuts

(adapted from The New Best Recipe by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

Spice Mix

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp each cinnamon, cumin, coriander

1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper and garlic powder

Glaze

2 tbsp water

1tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

Spread almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast in a 350 F oven for 4 minutes. Add the pumpkin seeds and peanuts and continue to roast until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool.

Combine ingredients for spice mix in a bowl.

For the glaze, bring the water, brown sugar, and butter to a boil in a saucepan, whisking constantly. Stir in the toasted nuts and seeds and cook, stirring constantly until the nuts are shiny and almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Transfer the glazed mixture to the bowl with the spice mix; toss well to coat. Return the glazed and spiced nuts to the parchment-lined baking sheet to cool. The nuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Pumpkin Muffins

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups oil

2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin

3 cups flour

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Beat eggs slightly; add sugar, oil and pumpkin and beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

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