I've only really used pumpkins to make soup before so I wondered what else other people do with them? I've found somewhere local I can pick them up fairly cheaply and thought I'd try a few new recipes this year. I know they can be used in sweet and savory dishes although I don't think I've ever used them for anything sweet. I'm open to any suggestions!
I have been reading pumpkin pie from time to time particularly during the scary season of Halloween. And lately I have read about pumpkin soup. I am alien to these foods since we have no pumpkins here (although lately there are imported pumpkins for decorative purposes). I will be watching this thread for the recipe of pumpkin soup and maybe we can try it with squash since it is a lookalike of pumpkin.
There’s a Betty Crocker recipe for pumpkin cake that I love. I’ve made it for other people as well, and they always enjoy it. I like to add raisins and walnuts to mine, makes it extra delicious Been a while since I baked one, though. Think it’s high time for another!
I like to take out the seeds and make some baked pumpkin seeds. I like to put sea salt on one batch and put cinnamon and sugar on the other bath. They taste so good and are a good snack for prostate health!
I've had pumpkin ravioli in a wild mushroom cream sauce several times in restaurants, and it was really quite nice. It's a great change of pace from the usual ricotta or meat filled ravioli in a red sauce. I would also suggest checking out the cooking blog called FoodWishes (foodwishes.blogspot.com) and doing a search on there for "pumpkin". The chef that runs the site has a bunch of recipes on there with pumpkin. In fact his most recent recipe is for pumpkin zeppole. It's basically a small little Italian doughnut ball dusted in sugar. Pie would be obvious, but a pumpkin roll cake with a creamy frosting filling would be fun to try out as well.
Here in Hawaii we have a Japanese pumpkin. One thing I do with local Japanese pumpkin is making a savory dish that's sweet & salty. We like to boil it with string beans with a soy & a dash of dashi or bonita flavoring. Our pumpkin is called kabocha. *images from:Log In 10/18/2015. This is Japanese pumpkin.The flesh of the pumpkin is sweet. It's a winter squash Log In. We like to keep the skin on so we clean it up with a vinegar wash scrub. In a deep pot we put our pumpkin that's cut to bite size after we remove the seeds and cut off the stem off. It's hard to cut it up, but the pumpkin soup is delicious. After about half hour we add bite size string beans. To taste flavor with soy sauce, touch of mirin and a package of dashi. *image fromLog In *image is fromhttp://Log In 10/18/2015. Simmer till pumpkin and string beans is tender. Test taste carefully not to burn yourself to see if the soup base is right. We like it not too soupy so we let the water boil down making the Japanese pumpkin very tender. With Halloween pumpkins there is a Halloween Pumpkin soup I found for you fromLog In
Oh if you haven't yet tried pumpkin in all the many delicious and very tasty ways that it can be eaten - I can highly recommend doing so - as although we don't celebrate Halloween where I live - we do grow a lot of pumpkins Which as they're generally in abundance at this time of year and are probably one of the most versatile vegetables around - as they can be used in almost any way imaginable - are also extremely economical. So much so that - although we mainly use them - coated in olive oil and roasted, as vegetable dips, diced, shredded or sliced and added to rice and pasta dishes - as well as to soups and stews - but also made into deliciously creamy desserts, along with breads, cakes or pastries - we never run out of ways in which to use them - especially as they compliment just about every kind of food from meat or fish to vegetables and fruit - oh that just reminded me - they're particularly good when mixed with honey and orange - if looking for something sweet We also always use the seeds - which when roasted with - pesto, spices such as paprika, cheese, garlic, herbs or in fact anything that takes your fancy - for example - cinnamon, honey or ginger if wanting something sweet - make wonderfully tasty healthy snacks - that cost virtually nothing to make.
