| "body"> | | | | one is to use bake a pastry case or pie crust (or |
| It's autumn, and veggie shops are overflowing | | | | buy a good quality ready-made one). For enough |
| with beautiful golden pumpkins. Pumpkin is a highly | | | | filling for two 9-inch (20cm) pie crusts, mix 450 ml |
| nutritious vegetable, rich in antioxidants, fiber and | | | | (2 ½ cups) pumpkin puree, fresh or canned, |
| vitamins, so it's a great way to add goodness to | | | | with 5 fl oz low-fat evaporated milk, three beaten |
| fall menus. | | | | eggs and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ¾ tsp |
| You can substitute canned pumpkin in any recipe | | | | ginger, ¼ tsp each nutmeg and allspice (but |
| using pumpkin puree, but you'll get a better | | | | check before adding spices, as some canned |
| flavour if you cook fresh pumpkin yourself. For | | | | pumpkin comes ready-spiced). Bake for 15 mins |
| the best flavour, slice and seed fresh pumpkin and | | | | at 425F/220C/gas 7, lower the temperature to |
| roast in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes until | | | | 350F/180C/gas 4 for another 40 minutes. |
| tender. When cool enough to handle, remove skin | | | | 4. Pumpkin pancakes Great for breakfast, these |
| and mash or blend the flesh. Alternatively, peel | | | | are whizzed up in minutes. Substitute 90ml (1/2 |
| and seed raw pumpkin, cut into chunks, place in a | | | | cup) pumpkin puree for the same quantity of milk |
| large pan with the minimum of water and simmer | | | | in your favourite pancake recipe and cook in a |
| until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash, blend or | | | | hot pan, pouring just enough batter to make small |
| process to a puree. | | | | pancakes. |
| Here are 5 ideas for using fresh pumpkin. | | | | 5. Pumpkin in savoury dishes Try cubed pumpkin, |
| | | | browned with onion and garlic, then simmered in a |
| 1. Pumpkin soup Pumpkin makes wonderful soup. | | | | tomato sauce with a dash of chilli. Great with |
| Cook cubes of fresh pumpkin in vegetable stock, | | | | pasta or rice. Or use pumpkin in risotto. Finely |
| adding other vegetables such as onion, leek, | | | | chop and soften 4 shallots or one onion in a little |
| potato, carrot or turnip if you wish. When the | | | | olive oil. Stir in 250g ( 1 ½ cups) risotto rice, |
| vegetables are tender, puree in a blender or food | | | | 500g (3 cups) grated fresh pumpkin (use a food |
| processor. For extra savour, add spices like | | | | processor to do the grating), then gradually add |
| cinnamon or nutmeg. Ground or grated fresh | | | | 850ml (5 cups) hot vegetable stock, making sure |
| ginger also work well. | | | | each addition has been absorbed into the rice |
| 2. Pumpkin cakes Add up to 175ml (1 cup) pureed | | | | before you add the next. When rice and pumpkin |
| pumpkin to teabread recipes, for moistness. | | | | are tender, stir through a generous grating of |
| Always use spice with pumpkin, because its | | | | Parmesan cheese, and leave to stand, covered |
| natural flavour is very mild. Traditional choice is a | | | | for 10 minutes to allow the rice to swell. |
| mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and | | | | Pumpkin is only in season for a couple of months, |
| allspice. | | | | so make the most of it this year in these fresh |
| 3. Pumpkin pies Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete | | | | pumpkin recipes. |
| without a pumpkin pie. The simplest way to make | | | | |