Pumpkins Are Not Just For Halloween

| |
Related articles: Life > Food

Pumpkin is the name of a gourd belonging to the "curcurbita maxima" family. In Canada, it is usually seen as a filling for pies, but it is used to make soup in France, England, and Brazil, and in puddings and various sweets in Portugal and other countries. Here are some interesting pumpkin recipes to try, all made with small pie pumpkins rather than the large Halloween variety.

Pumpkin soufflé

(From the 1969 edition of LA CUISINE by Raymond Oliver).

Serves 4

1/2 small pumpkin
Freshly grated white pepper
125 ml (1/2 cup) thick Béchamel sauce (see editor’s note)
4 eggs, separated
salt
50 ml (1/4 cup) grated Swiss cheese

Peel pumpkin and remove seeds and membranes. Cut up and cook uncovered, in boiling, salted water until tender. Force through a food mill, and then drain again. There should be about 250 ml (1-cup). Blend with the Béchamel Sauce and season with salt and pepper. Beat in the egg yolks and grated cheese. Beat whites until very stiff and fold in. Pour into a 1 1/2 litre (6-cup) mold, filling it three-quarters full. Bake in a preheated 180º C (350º F) oven for 20 minutes, then increase heat to 190º C (375º F) and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Editor’s note: Béchamel sauce is a basic white sauce used to make a soufflé more stable.

Pumpkin cookies

Makes approximately 6 dozen

250 ml (1 cup) mashed cooked pumpkin
250 ml (1 cup) butter
1 egg
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) sugar (or less)
5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda
875 ml (3 1/2 cups) flour, half whole wheat, half white
2 ml (1/2 tsp) each salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
250 ml (1 cup) raisins

Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add egg and pumpkin and mix well. Sift flour with all dry ingredients, and then add raisins. Add to pumpkin mixture and drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 200º C (400º F) degree oven for 9 or 10 minutes. These cookies keep well.

Pumpkin cake

125 ml (1/2 cup) soft butter
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
250 ml (1 cup) canned pumpkin
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) flour
5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon
2 ml (1/2 tsp) each nutmeg, ginger, allspice
Pinch of mace
250 ml (1 cup) raisins

Cream butter and sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg and pumpkin mixing in well. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Add raisins. Bake in a greased 20-cm (8-inch) square cake pan in a preheated 180º C (350º F) oven for about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If desired, dust a little icing sugar over the top of cooled cake.

Cream of pumpkin soup

Makes 1 litre (4 cups)

15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
500 g (1 lb) pumpkin, peeled, cut into small cubes 2.5-cm (1-inch) square
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 medium size carrots, finely chopped
1 medium size leek, white part only, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves
2 litres (8 cups) vegetable stock
500 ml (2 cups) heavy cream
Pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper

In a medium-sized pot with high sides heat olive oil; add pumpkin and sauté a few minutes without browning. Add onions, carrots, leek, and garlic, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add vegetable stock, heavy cream, and saffron. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low. Cook slowly for 50 minutes. Use a blender to puree the soup, then put through a sieve to remove any lumps. Season with salt and pepper.

Option: Garnish with chopped lobster, roasted pumpkin seeds and whipped cream.

Recipe courtesy of Sudesh Kishore, Executive Chef of SeaDream Yacht Club

Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, Wine Tidings and Doctor’s Review among many others. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com