How to Cook Pumpkin and Squash
Some alternatives to carving an ugly face…
Now is the time for harvesting or buying squashes, last year I had a bumper crop and after seeing my mate, Banksy’s (not the artist) glut of pumpkins drying in the sun I shall be growing them again next year.
I use a lot of squash in the kitchen, butternut is cooked with a little nutmeg or maybe some five spice and pureed for an accompaniment to game birds. I puree the bottom half along with any trimmings whilst the ‘neck’ is peeled, sliced and cooked in stock and butter with bay and thyme.
Pumpkins are often roasted with some honey, olive oil and a dusting of ras en hanout as a vegetable side dish, left-overs would make an excellent soup or folded into a creamy risotto with some seasonal mushrooms.
I also use pumpkin as a meat substitute in curries, they are fabulous when simmered in a masala with some potato, chick peas and shredded spinach. Roasted pumpkin with freshly ground cumin, some cracked mustard seeds and a healthy dose of fresh coriander at the end makes an excellent side dish to a curry of lamb or beef.
Soups are another good option, take the classic Thai soup of coconut milk and galangal and substitute the chicken with pumpkin. Most varieties of squash make great soups and lend themselves to many different flavourings and garnishes; yoghurt, mint, coriander, thyme, sage, honey, saffron, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and chilli.
Miles,
This year’s pumpkin won’t go to waste. After I’ve created a sculptural masterpiece from it, the scrapings will make fine soup. To tell the truth, over the years it has become less of a lantern and more of a challenge … I just have to see one on the cover of a country living magazine and I feel an irresistible desire to carve! Even I find the textural quality of the exotic type to be ‘above’ the knife, but I love them still.
Cid
October 8, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
Cid,
Those country life style magazines have a lot to answer for!
Miles
October 8, 2007 @ 10:47 pm