Quick Bite: New Ways to Cook with Pumpkins
In Praise of Pumpkins
Pumpkin crafts and recipes
For the past four years, Limehouse’s pumpkins have made their way to doorsteps and dinner tables across the Lowcountry—a small miracle if you ask Sidi: “They need a lot of attention, a lot of TLC.” Still, the fruit is an indigenous South Carolina crop, enjoying a rich heritage in other, less humid parts of the state. A small town northwest of Greenville owes its name to pumpkins after native Cherokee Indians introduced settlers to the naturally occurring, squash-like fruit—hence the settlement’s name, Pumpkintown, South Carolina. Eat: Low in fat and cholesterol, these gourds are packed with vitamins, minerals, and beta-carotene. Just one cup of cooked pumpkin will serve up as much as 245 percent of your daily dose of vitamin A, an element critical to preserving vision and skin health. What’s more, scientists have uncovered a molecule in pumpkin that facilitates the regeneration of insulin-producing cells destroyed by diabetes. Grow: Ready to sow your own seeds? Cultivating pumpkins here is difficult, certainly, but they can be a viable crop even in small home gardens. First, we recommend choosing seeds based on what you plan to do with the pumpkin—whether you’ll use for display or for cooking. All pumpkins require anywhere from 70 to 120 days to mature, so it’s best to lay seeds between July 1 and 15 for coastal regions and June 15 and 30 for central parts of the state, to ensure fruit will be ripe by autumn. Plant on raised beds about three feet apart (to promote drainage) and water liberally to encourage deep rooting. Avoid getting leaves or fruit wet. And because humidity is often the pumpkin grower’s biggest hurdle, use organic mulch of pine or wheat straw to protect the fruit from wet ground. Old shingles also work well, as plastic or paper materials only trap moisture. Carve & Cook: Whether you’re selecting pumpkins from a local market or harvesting your own, choose only mature fruit with a deep orange color and no soft spots. In the kitchen, opt for sugar pumpkins because they are meaty and come with fewer stringy fibers than other varieties. Good picks for carving are Autumn Gold and Jack-o’-Lantern for their large sizes and intense orange color. Pumpkin just might be the darling ingredient of fall dishes, the poster fruit for the season’s sweet, healthy offerings. Here, find four delicious new ways to incorporate the tasty gourd into your menus.
Pumpkin Soup with Goat Cheese & Sage Crostini
Cook time: 20 minutes
- 2 cups prepared pumpkin pulp
- 1 can (14 oz.) chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 2 Tbs. heavy cream
- Small baguette
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 1 tsp. rubbed sage
Whisk first five ingredients together in a medium pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add cream, stir, and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for two to three minutes or until heated through. For the crostini, slice eight half-inch portions from the baguette and toast until crisp. Meanwhile, mix the goat cheese and sage together. Generously spread cheese over each crostini and serve on top of or alongside each soup serving.
Pumpkin Pulp
Yields approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 4-lb. sugar pumpkin
Using a large sharp knife, cut pumpkin in quarters and remove skin, seeds, and stringy membrane (reserve seeds in a separate container if using for cooking). Cut into equal size pieces and place in a pot with just enough water to cover—cooking in too much liquid will result in watery pulp. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Strain pumpkin pieces. The cooked pumpkin can be puréed in a food processor or crushed with a potato masher until it’s almost smooth and no large pieces remain. The mashed pulp should be used within a few days of being prepared, but will keep for up to one year in the freezer. If the pulp seems too watery, drain in cheesecloth before using or freezing.
Cayenne-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
(Yields 2 cups) Cook time: 45 minutes
- Cooking spray
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne powder, or more to taste
- 2 cups raw, whole pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 275ºF. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne powder. Rinse the seeds with cold water, discarding any stringy pulp. Dry the seeds completely and toss with butter mixture. Spread buttered seeds in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the seeds are dry and toasted. Cool completely on baking sheet before storing in an airtight container.
Orange-Glazed Pumpkin-Walnut Bread Pudding
(Yields 4-6 servings) Cook time: 45 minutes
- Cooking spray
- 1 loaf (1 lb.) challah bread
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbs. bourbon (optional)
- 1 ½ cups prepared pumpkin pulp
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 Tbs. orange juice
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat ramekins with cooking spray. Cube the challah bread and place in a large bowl. Add the raisins and walnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, cardamom, salt, and bourbon (if using) together until well-combined. Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread, stirring well so that all of the bread absorbs the egg mixture. Fold in the pumpkin pulp. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Place all ramekins in a deep baking dish and add enough water to cover the bottom of the ramekins by one inch. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the pudding is set or knife comes out clean when inserted in center. Allow puddings to cool for five minutes. Meanwhile, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice to make a glaze, whisking until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of each portion before serving.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon-Sugar Mascarpone
Yields approximately 10 small pancakes cook time: 15 minutes
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tub (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbs. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 Tbs. butter, melted
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup prepared pumpkin pulp
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray
Mix the ground cinnamon and sugar together. Fold into the mascarpone cheese until well-combined and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cloves, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the beaten egg, melted butter, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla until well-combined. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (batter will be lumpy). Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and lightly coat with oil or cooking spray. Pour the batter to form approximately three-inch pancakes and cook for about one and a half minutes per side, turning when the bottom browns and bubbles appear on the surface. Cook the pancakes in batches of one or two, adding more oil as needed to prevent sticking. Pancakes can be kept shingled in a warm oven (200ºF) for up to 30 minutes. Top each stack with a dollop of the cinnamon sugar mascarpone cheese before serving.
