email this pageIf a pumpkin were a movie, it would be a romantic comedy, from its whimsical child-like appearance in the patch, to its lusty taste and texture in the kitchen. The pumpkin may be one of the most versatile ingredients ever, transforming itself into savory dishes as well as sweets (not to mention a carriage for Cinderella). It’s equally at home mashed and stirred into polenta or muffins as it is baked up in a pie. But roasted with butter and maple syrup may be its best role yet. In the recipes that follow, pumpkins light up the dinner table even more than their toothy kin illuminate the front porch.
As a rule: Save the large pumpkins for carving, but use the smaller varieties (sugar pumpkins, New England pie pumpkins, New Jersey Cheese and Luminas) for cooking. A 2-pound pie pumpkin will yield about 2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin. Simply cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, place cut sides down in a pan of water and bake until tender. Scoop out pulp with a spoon and discard skin.
Maple-Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
Cooking pumpkins are sometimes labeled pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins, but any small pumpkin (or winter squash) will work. Roasting times will vary depending on the size and moisture content of the pumpkin.
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 small pumpkin (2-3 pounds)
Maple syrup
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Maple syrup
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut pumpkin in half; scoop out seeds. Cut halves into 2 or 3 wedges depending on size of pumpkin. Place skin side down on roasting pan. Cover with foil; bake 15 minutes or until pumpkins are fork tender. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until browned. Serves 4.
Easy Oven-Baked Pumpkin Polenta
This is a nice change from mashed potatoes, but fits the bill just the same. Serve with roast pork, chicken, beef or meatloaf. Because the polenta is baked in the oven, not slow-cooked on stovetop, it requires little fuss.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (not instant or
pre-cooked polenta)
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin, coarsely mashed
1/4 cup sour cream or heavy cream
1⁄8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded Gruyère or Jarlsberg cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (not instant or
pre-cooked polenta)
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin, coarsely mashed
1/4 cup sour cream or heavy cream
1⁄8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded Gruyère or Jarlsberg cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Generously coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine water, salt and cornmeal in dish,
mixing well (the mixture will separate). Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in pumpkin, sour cream, pepper, nutmeg and half the cheeses. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese, and place under the broiler for a few minutes, until top is brown and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Nutritional Information
2. Combine water, salt and cornmeal in dish,
mixing well (the mixture will separate). Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in pumpkin, sour cream, pepper, nutmeg and half the cheeses. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese, and place under the broiler for a few minutes, until top is brown and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Per serving: 200 calories, 10g fat, 10g prot., 17g carbs., 2g fiber, 760mg sodium.
French Pumpkin Soup
This recipe is from The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market Cookbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Impeccable Produce Plus Seasonal Recipes by Peggy Knickerbocker and Christopher Hirsheimer (Chronicle Books, 2006). The heavy, dense flesh of the pumpkin helps it to hold its shape during baking. As it cooks, its juices are slowly released into the stock, where their flavor intensifies.
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 (8- to 10-pound) Rouge vif d’Etamps (Cinderella) pumpkin
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
6 (1-inch thick) slices country bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Instructions
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
6 (1-inch thick) slices country bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut off top of pumpkin, creating a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Scoop out seeds and strings. Rub cut side of lid and inside of pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter. Season lid and inside of pumpkin with half the salt and place pumpkin, cut side up, in a deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set lid aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add toasted bread and sprinkle with sage, nutmeg, remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Spoon a layer of bread mixture into pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Repeat layers with remaining bread mixture and cheese. Pour in stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Lay bay leaves on top, and then fit lid onto pumpkin.
5. Bake until pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and stock bubbles, 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. Carefully remove baking dish from the oven.
6. With a long-handled spoon, scrape flesh from bottom and sides of pumpkin into soup, being careful not to puncture walls. Ladle soup, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh, into warmed bowls and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Nutritional Information
2. Cut off top of pumpkin, creating a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Scoop out seeds and strings. Rub cut side of lid and inside of pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter. Season lid and inside of pumpkin with half the salt and place pumpkin, cut side up, in a deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set lid aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add toasted bread and sprinkle with sage, nutmeg, remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Spoon a layer of bread mixture into pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Repeat layers with remaining bread mixture and cheese. Pour in stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Lay bay leaves on top, and then fit lid onto pumpkin.
5. Bake until pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and stock bubbles, 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. Carefully remove baking dish from the oven.
6. With a long-handled spoon, scrape flesh from bottom and sides of pumpkin into soup, being careful not to puncture walls. Ladle soup, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh, into warmed bowls and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Per serving: 330 calories, 21g fat, 13g prot., 24g carbs., 3g fiber, 740mg sodium.
Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins
These savory muffins are studded with poblano peppers and Cheddar, making them a perfect accompaniment to soup or chili.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⁄3 cup finely shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1⁄3 cup roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Muffins:
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled,
seeded and finely diced, or ¼ cup
chopped canned green chiles
Instructions
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⁄3 cup finely shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1⁄3 cup roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Muffins:
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled,
seeded and finely diced, or ¼ cup
chopped canned green chiles
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. To prepare the streusel, combine butter and flour with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add cheese, brown sugar and cayenne. Stir in pepitas.
3. To prepare the muffins, spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
4. Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine egg, buttermilk, sugar, butter and pumpkin; whisk well. Stir into flour mixture. Add poblanos and stir gently. Spoon into muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel topping over each muffin.
5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Nutritional Information
2. To prepare the streusel, combine butter and flour with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add cheese, brown sugar and cayenne. Stir in pepitas.
3. To prepare the muffins, spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
4. Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine egg, buttermilk, sugar, butter and pumpkin; whisk well. Stir into flour mixture. Add poblanos and stir gently. Spoon into muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel topping over each muffin.
5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Per (1-muffin) serving: 190 calories, 9g fat, 6g prot., 24g carbs., 2g fiber, 300mg sodium.
Garlicky Pumpkin and Broccoli
This Italian dish combines pumpkin chunks with broccoli in a garlic and red pepper-scented sauté. To cook the pumpkin, cut in half, scoop out seeds, and place cut side down in a pan of water. Bake at 400F until tender. Scoop out pulp with a spoon and cut into chunks; discard skin. Butternut squash works just as well as pumpkin.
Ingredients
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups large broccoli florets
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 to 3 cups cooked pumpkin chunks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups large broccoli florets
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 to 3 cups cooked pumpkin chunks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat oil and red pepper flakes in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until oil starts to sputter and darken slightly.
3. Add broccoli and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to high; pour in 1⁄3 cup of water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, steam 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Transfer to a baking dish. Scatter garlic and pumpkin over broccoli; stir well. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Nutritional Information
2. Heat oil and red pepper flakes in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until oil starts to sputter and darken slightly.
3. Add broccoli and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to high; pour in 1⁄3 cup of water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, steam 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Transfer to a baking dish. Scatter garlic and pumpkin over broccoli; stir well. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Per serving: 150 calories, 10g fat, 7g prot., 10g carbs., 2g fiber, 410mg sodium.
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