The round red pumpkins that crowd the market stalls at this time of the year are works of art. Perfect spheres that stand upright, proudly showing off their beauty.
Seems a shame to cut them up and eat them–though they still look a picture when in bits!
You could make a glowing soup with more or less the same ingredients as below.
Here the large dice are simply roasted for half an hour in a hottish oven and spread on top of the warm lentil salad I posted a couple of days ago or eaten as an accompanying vegetable.
for 2
1 small pumpkin or pumpkin slice–about 450gms/1 lb
1 tsp cumin
1/2 teasp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tblsp olive oil
salt and pepper
heat the oven to 220C/450F
- No need to peel the skin of the pumpkin just…
- …halve the pumpkin ball from top to bottom with a large knife and a great deal of care.
- Using a serving spoon scoop out the interior leaving the pumpkin flesh.
- Cut the two halves into bite-size bits and put them in a bowl.
- Add the oil and the spices and season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the mix over thoroughly.
- Spread it out over a shallow oven tray covered in foil–(saves scraping the charred bits off later.)
- Roast for 30 minutes by which time the bits will have cooked through and charred a little.
- Serve as you like.
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In the USA, for some reason pumpkin is seen only as a seasonal dessert fruit/veg but during pumpkin season in the fall I am seeing more pumpkin soups these days. When I lived in Australia – where the produce was remarkably flavorful (soil nutrients had yet to be exhausted is my guess) they were big on pumpkin as a savory side dish. The pumpkin exteriors were a dull gray color but inside, the usual bright orange. Wow – is this blog international or WHAT?
Meredith was worried that these beauties would be difficult to find in the States. Pity because they are versatile,
In Ulster County NY we see many farmers leave the unsold pumpkins in the field after Thanksgiving (late November). Not sure why — no call for them? I’ve even heard of “pumpkin shoots” using pumpkin as pellets in an air gun. But perhaps it’s because there’s too many of the gargantuan ones and not enough of the sweeter European variety?
Nancy N
Ooh, this looks wonderful, Robin! We LOVE roasted squash–a halved buttercup squash with a lot of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar is heaven! Not sure where to find ANY fresh pumpkins right now, red or orange, but it’s a good recipe for the fall! Can’t get to the market right now, anyway–roads in the the whole state are shut down as we wait for the big blizzard to pass! (Much ado about nothing, so far; we have all of 4 inches, although a lot of blowing snow…Supposed to get worse overnight. See you on the other side!!)
Cheers & hugs!
Part of the problem in the United States is that the pumpkins for Halloween tend to be not very tasty. You can find canned pumpkin all year, and you can make excellent baked goods with it, but after Christmas I don’t remember seeing whole pumpkins available to buy.