Tasty Bites: Pumpkin!

By Beth

I was once daunted by the idea of converting a big, orange pumpkin into something that resembled pumpkin puree sold in cans at my local grocery store. Pumpkins are good for decorating your front porch, and for making Jack-O-Lanterns, but they aren’t really thought of as food. Cooking with pumpkin usually involves a can. I was happy to learn that those pumpkins can be easily be turned into food once they have completed their service as fall decorations. Small, sugar pumpkins have the most tender flesh, but a pumpkin of any size can be made into beautiful, orange puree rich in beta-carotene and fiber, with a very small investment of active cooking time.

Start by removing the stem from your pumpkin.

Then, slice the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. If you’ve ever carved a pumpkin, this should seem familiar.

Remove all of the seeds and most of the stringy parts using a spoon or your hands, scraping out the more stubborn pieces with the edge of a paring knife. These seeds can be roasted and turned into a delicious snack.

Brush the pumpkin flesh with olive oil. Place, cut side down, onto a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes until a fork easily slides through the skin and through the pumpkin flesh. The skin darkens and the parts of the flesh that were touching the pan get a bit brown and caramelized on the edges. This just adds to the flavor.

Allow the pumpkin halves to cool a little bit and then start scooping the soft flesh out with a spoon. Keep scraping until all that remains is the thin skin.

All that is left to do is to whirr the pumpkin in a food processor or blender until smooth.

The puree can be frozen in 2 cup increments for use in any recipe calling for canned pumpkin.

Speaking of recipes calling for pumpkin, most of us think of the myriad of pumpkin sweets…pie, sweet bread, muffins, scones, but pumpkin is also a wonderful addition to savory recipes. One of my favorite ways to use pumpkin is in soups and stews. With its earthy goodness, pumpkin is a delicious vehicle for spice and ethnic flavors…Thai, Indian, Moroccan, Tex-Mex, even Italian. It can also be snuck in to any tomato-based stew or sauce, blending in with whatever flavors are being used and adding a nutritional boost.

Today I used pumpkin in this delicious Pumpkin Apple Bacon Soup (see the full recipe at the end of this post). I was inspired by this butternut squash soup recipe. I made some changes and I’ll share my version here. The combination of flavors is so delicious and smelled so good while it was cooking. First, peel two onions and cut into quarters. Peel, core and chop two apples into quarters, or eighths if the apples are larger. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 cloves or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and pour in the onion-apple-garlic mixture.

Roast at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until everything is very tender. Throw this into a food processor or blender. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan over a burner and add 1 cup of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, scraping any brown bits leftover from roasting the onion-apple-garlic mixture.Add to fruit/veggies already in the food processor and puree until smooth.

Cook 4 strips of bacon in a dutch oven or large skillet until nice and crispy. Let the bacon cool on a paper- towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add the onion-apple-garlic mixture to the pan. Stir in 2 cups pumpkin puree, an additional 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of honey, ¼ teaspoon ground sage, and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cayenne pepper. The cayenne gives a little heat in the background, but I wouldn’t call it spicy. It just adds another dimension and another layer of depth to the flavor. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste it to see if you’d like to add a little more salt or a little more spice. Finally, stir in ¼ cup half and half, adding just a bit of creaminess and another layer to the flavor profile. Ladle into bowls and top with a bit of crisp, crumbled bacon. My sister would say this soup is like a party on the palate. We enjoyed our Pumpkin Apple Bacon soup with a thick slice of beer bread on the side. Yum!

Pumpkin, Apple and Bacon Soup
(Adapted from Tasty Kitchen)
Yield: 4 main dish servings or 6 side servings

2 cups pumpkin puree (either fresh roasted or canned is fine)

2  apples, cored, peeled and quartered

2  medium sized onions, peeled and quartered

2 cloves or 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon dried sage

4 slices bacon

Salt and pepper to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon each, adding more to taste)

A pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste

¼ cup half and half

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and toss together onions, apples, garlic and olive oil. Spread on roasting pan. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until tender.

2. Add roasted onions, apples and garlic to a food processor or blender.

3. Place roasting pan over a burner and add 1 cup chicken stock. Bring to a boil and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan. Add this to the onions and apples in the food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

4. Cook bacon in a dutch oven or large skillet until crisp. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add pureed mixture to the pan along with the pumpkin puree, additional  1 cup broth, 1 cup water, honey, sage, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the half and half. Taste and add more salt, pepper or cayenne pepper if desired. Sprinkle each serving with crumbled bacon.

Here are a few links to some other savory pumpkin recipes that sound delicious:

Pumpkin, Kale and Black Bean Stew

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Beef Stew

Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

Beth is a stay-at-home mom of three wonderfully active children ages 6, 3 and almost 1. She is married to Jason (who also writes for us here at MAD21) and spends her days teaching, changing diapers, sweeping up Cheerios, keeping peace among the kids, and whipping out gourmet meals on the side.

Comments

[Janice Chan]

Your 3 year old came to school and his teacher read a book about pumpkins. He told everyone he had Pumpkin Bacon Soup and was asked if it was good, told the class it was yummy!! I am going to try this because if was memorable to a 3 year old, it must have been delish!!!

[Beth]

Oh, he didn't share that with me! That's a great story! Thanks for sharing it. Hope you enjoy the recipe.