They’re proudly rotund, lightly pleated, and sport the happiest shade of orange imaginable. Welcome harbingers of end-of-the-year holidays, pumpkins deliver a dose of good cheer, especially as the season of diminished days slides toward the winter solstice.
Pumpkins make us smile and lend themselves to a variety of fun, including fall decorating, family feasts, and, when hosts encourage guests to toss those pumpkin centerpieces, even athletic competitions. The fact that such a humble gourd dominates our autumn celebrations bears witness to its charm and versatility.
Potentially as soothing a comfort food as mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, the mighty pumpkin can be whipped into dozens of different dishes. It is ideal for pies, cakes, and a surprising number of main dishes, too, filling spots on the menu ranging from breads to main courses to delicate desserts.
A simple preparation for a savory side calls for slicing off the pumpkin top, removing the seeds, and sprinkling the flesh with milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for about an hour or until a fork slides easily into the flesh, and serve hot with dabs of butter.
For those with a creative streak, pumpkin soup makes an elegant main dish for a light lunch or first course for a more formal meal. Incorporate the sunny, pre-cooked flesh into fritters and risotto, or even killer lasagna and turkey chili.
The Wampanoag and Delaware tribes of the eastern United States traditionally baked venison stew inside fat pumpkins, letting the flesh thicken the sauce. Today, beef stew served from a large pumpkin, such as an Atlantic Giant, or individually in tiny Jack Be Little pumpkins, makes a similarly dramatic presentation, with no dirty bowls to wash.
In the dessert department, pumpkins demonstrate an impressive versatility that goes well beyond pies. The somewhat bland flavor of their flesh provides a creamy medium and unobtrusive background for zesty flavors.
Turn ordinary cheesecake into a silky treat by adding pureed pumpkin and baking it in a crust made from spicy gingersnap cookies. Pumpkin also adds personality to breads, cookies, muffins, and a cake jelly roll filled with sweetened cream cheese.
Eighteenth century Europeans who settled in this country often longed for a taste of home. To satisfy their sweet tooth, they approximated a favorite dessert by scraping the seeds from the pumpkin and filling it with bits of dried bread, milk, and a little sugar. After replacing the pumpkin’s lid, they baked the whole thing in hot ashes to create a moist, mouthwatering pudding.
So fond of sweetened pumpkin were the Connecticut colonists that they once postponed Thanksgiving until enough molasses arrived to make the holiday pies. This early devotion to the fruit set the stage for the success of places like Floydada, Texas, a tiny town hailed as “Pumpkin Capital USA” and renowned for producing nearly one million of the golden orbs annually.
Even the seeds of this go-anywhere gourd make a tasty snack. Known as pepitas when toasted and lightly salted, the seeds are so popular that pumpkin breeders have developed cultivars, such as Trick or Treat and Snack Jack, that bear hull-less seeds that can be munched by the handful much like shelled nuts.
To prepare the seeds, simply scrape them out of the pumpkin, separate them from the larger chunks of pulp, and wash thoroughly in warm water. Spread seeds on a cookie sheet lightly smeared with vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350 degrees F., for 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so. To test for doneness, let a few cool and taste them; when the insides are dry, they are done.
If desired, vary the flavor of toasted pumpkin seeds by dusting liberally with Susie-Q’s Brand seasoning, cheesy popcorn sprinkles, garlic salt, chili powder, or any other imaginative topping.
When selecting pumpkins for cooking, look for globes with solid flesh, no signs of bruising or soft spots, and preferably with the stem still attached. Smaller pumpkins offer a sweet, fine-textured flesh, while the mammoth specimens, better for carving than eating, tend to be coarse and stringy.
Store whole pumpkins in a cool, dry spot and they will keep well for months. To prepare them for incorporation into recipes, slice in half, scoop out the seeds, remove the pulp, and bake until tender. Scrape the remaining flesh away from the skin, and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
For handy pre-measured additions to soups, pies, and stews, measure about 2 cups of the puree into each of several plastic bags and stash in the freezer.
Native to Central America, pumpkins have long ranked as a dietary staple in many parts of the world. Fortunately, early explorers brought them to North America, where they serve as festive decoration, mealtime wonders, and cheerful harbingers of the holiday season.
K. Reka Badger is always cheerful, is ever festive, and knows where to find mealtime wonders. Join her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Nov 11-18, 2010.