Cooking with Winter Pumpkins

Cooking with a Glut of Pumpkins

Now in Mid-Winter, I find I still have a serious over supply of pumpkins and winter squashes.

This year I harvested in excess of 80 of these wonderful vegetables. Of course, some of these are the handful sized Baby Bears and similar, which I love.

I have given away loads of them to my family and to friends. I have eaten lots of them and served them up over the Christmas holidays in a variety of recipes but, find I still have a lot left. They are stacked in my utility room and on the stairs to my upper floor [being the coolest areas of the house – I don’t have a frost-free garage or shed]. I still check them weekly as they can cause a lot of damage to areas where they are stored if they collapse.

It is not a boast when I say I have so many but, an admission of very poor management. I had the same problem last year – you would think I would learn!

In the first round of sowings, few germinated so, another sowing, in the second round all germinated and I had too many – give some away. Oh dear! A couple have not thrived, now I have too few, sow again. I must now plant all the young seedlings, no-one wants them and I can’t bear to throw them away…. Or something like that.

Suffice to say, by mid January, I still have too many pumpkins and my family and friends can’t cope with any more.

I shall do what I did last summer with my excess [especially courgettes]. I shall put them out on my garden wall and invite people to help themselves. However, pumpkins are not to everyone’s taste or knowledge of what to do with them so I have printed off a leaflet of recipes which, I hope, passers-by will help themselves to.

Although, I think, I have put up most of these recipes before, here they are again.

Recipes using Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Butternut Squash  Soup – other winter squash and pumpkin also work well

1 Medium to large butternut squash ( well this depends on the average you have produced on your plot)

 2  Large potatoes ( the floury variety)

1 litre ( 2 pints) chicken or vegetable stock

1 medium Chilli pepper ( my choice is for Joe’s Long, I find them reliably medium hot even in cool years)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely chopped coriander

 2 – 3 cloves of garlic

150 ml ( ¼ pint double cream) if you wish you can add milk to deduce the fat content.

A dollop of crème fraishe to garnish.

Method

·         Wash and cut the squash in half lengthways. Remove the seeds.

·         Peel the garlic cloves and put them in the seed spaces of the squashes to roast.

·         Roast the squash – oven 180ºC  no 5 gas for 25 to 30 mins.  In the meantime, wash, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.

·         Put the potatoes into a large saucepan with the stock, chilli and seasoning and bring to the boil. Simmer gently.

·         When the squash is cooked and soft, scoop it (with the roasted garlic), into the saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 10 minutes or so to blend the flavours.

·         Put through a blender or blitz with a hand blender until smooth. If you don’t have electronic equipment, just mash the ingredients well.

·         Correct the seasoning to taste and serve.  Garnish with chopped coriander and a dollop of crème fraishe

Helen’s Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

A totally delicious soup from my friend – Helen Yates

1 medium sized pumpkin or squash

A little olive oil

 1 stalk of lemon grass

A tin of coconut milk

1 litre (2 pints) vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

·         Peel and roughly chop the pumpkin or squash. Drizzle with olive oil and roast but don't let it go black. Remove from oven and put in a large saucepan with a bruised stalk of lemon grass.

·         Cover with a light vegetable stock and simmer until the pumpkin flesh is really soft.

·         Remove the lemon grass and liquidise the pumpkin and stock, if it looks too thick add a bit more stock.

·         Put the lemon grass back in and add a tin of coconut milk, then heat gently. Remove the lemon grass before serving - that's it!  Serve with hot crusty bread – delicious!

Roasted Baby Pumpkins

Allow 1 small pumpkin per person

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 plump garlic clove per pumpkin [more if liked] – peeled and crushed or chopped

1 small sprig or a few leaves of rosemary for each half pumpkin

Olive oil

Method

·         Remove the stalk and wash the outside of the pumpkin carefully.

·         Slice the pumpkin in half through the middle, horizontally and scoop out the seeds.

·         Place the half pumpkins on an oven-proof tray or dish. Add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper and a small sprig of rosemary and a spray or a teaspoonful of olive oil.

·         Bake in a moderate oven No5 Gas or 180ºC for approx 30 – 40 minutes. Check with a skewer that the flesh of the pumpkin is properly cooked.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Roasted Potatoes

1 – 2 medium onions - red onions for preference – peeled and cut into chunks

½ kilo suitable roasting potatoes – washed, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 medium butternut squash – sliced, peeled and deseeded then cut into chunks

1 garlic bulb – separate the cloves and skin them

A good dollop of top quality olive oil

A good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Some sprigs of rosemary

Method

·         Prepare the vegetables.

·         Heat the oil in a roasting pan until hot - 200ºC, No 6 gas

·         Toss the prepared squash, onions and potatoes in the hot oil.

·         Add the seasoning, herbs and garlic and return to the oven.

·         Cook for a further 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are golden brown and crunchy ( this will depend on the size you have cut them.

·         Serve immediately with any roast meat or with a nut roast.

Roasted Herby Pumpkin

For 4 people as a vegetable dish to serve with roast meat

1 small to medium pumpkin or 2 small if you like lots

4 - 6 garlic cloves –  skin, peel and chop them

2 – 3 Tblsp of top quality olive oil

A good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Some sprigs of rosemary

Method

·         Wash the pumpkins and remove the stalks.

·         Cut each into 4 sections and remove all the seeds

·         Add the seasoning, herbs and garlic and splash some olive oil into each section.

·         Sprinkle several rosemary leaves on top of each [they can be chopped if you wish].

·         Cook in a moderately hot oven about 30 minutes before your roast meat will. Test with a skewer or fork to make sure the vegetable is well cooked – it should be golden brown on top.

·         Serve immediately with any roast meat or with a nut roast.

A Vegetarian Christmas

Vegetarian Christmas

Many allotment gardeners walk away from their plots in the winter as they see gardening as a spring and summer or autumn occupation when harvesting vast amounts of fruit and other produce for preserves or just enjoying. Of course, as long as our plots and gardens are well maintained it is very much the choice of each individual how he/she chooses to garden.

I guess I must have a peasant mentality as I find that, while I certainly grow produce for eating and enjoying during the kinder months [when the living is easy] I plan and work towards the winter months and for the real ‘lean’ months of spring time. Of course, all our planning can come to nothing in very harsh winters when our carefully nurtured brassicas collapse under very harsh winters and it is impossible to hack root vegetables out of deeply frozen ground. For the last two winters my brassicas have been most disappointing and I been forced to resort to my freezer for vegetables stored in the good times or even - whisper it – the vegetable shop or supermarket.

So far, this autumn has been disappointingly wet and stormy and I have not carried out or completed chores which should have been done a month ago. At least I managed to get most of my autumn digging done.

I’m not a vegetarian but, over many years have catered for many friend and family with different dietary needs and choices. My grandson, now aged 13 months is seriously allergic to all dairy and all eggs and egg products, which require a bit of thought and preparation. This Christmas, I will have all of my family at home with me and while I plan to have the traditional roast turkey and spicy roasted gammon, I will also make an ever popular dish in my family – a Nut Roast.

Nut Roast

The time in making of this dish is in the preparation of the ingredients. Once everything is prepared, it takes only a couple of minutes to combine them put the ‘roast’ in the oven. It does take a little effort but I have found this dish to be very popular for Christmas either as the main course or cold with salads and pickles. It has also been very popular at dinner parties when I have been entertaining vegetarians – I have found that given a choice, even some of the meat eaters will opt for the nut roast [perhaps that has something to say about my meat dishes rather than the nut roast but, I’d prefer to think not!]

Replacing the butter with margarine or olive/rapeseed oil and leaving out the egg will also make this dish suitable for vegans however, the roast may break up more easily without the egg to bind it.

Ingredients

400gm [12oz ] mixed nuts chopped finely -  I use a mini chopper which is just brilliant for small quantities of all sorts of stuff from herbs, spices, breadcrumbs, baby food and, of course, nuts. Don’t chop too finely.

[You can use most types of nuts from hazelnuts, peanuts (not salted), Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, pecans but, be sparing with walnuts as they have a very dominant flavour]

1 large onion – peeled and chopped very finely

4 – 5 plump garlic cloves – peeled and chopped

1 good sized leek – trimmed, washed and cut into small pieces

100gm [ 4oz ] butter

1 medium potato – peeled, cooked and mashed

1 small parsnip or part of a larger parsnip – peeled, cooked and mashed

75 gm [3oz] – fine breadcrumbs – from a loaf of fresh or slightly stale bread [not commercial breadcrumbs from a supermarket]

1 lemon [or lime] – grated zest and juice

2 dsp. mixed herbs – preferably fresh [if using dried herbs reduce the quantity – if using frozen increase the quantity] – thyme, sage, marjoram, tarragon, rosemary (use sage and rosemary sparingly as they have a stronger flavour which can swamp your dish.

Lots of chopped parsley – 2 – 3 Tblsp.

Salt and freshly crushed black pepper.

2 tsp – cumin seeds – lightly toasted and crushed

2 medium eggs – beaten

A little vegetable stock – as needed

Method

·         Melt the butter in a pan and ‘sweat’ the chopped onion. Add the chopped garlic, leek and cumin, sweat for another couple of minutes, being careful to not singe the garlic and leek.

·         Add the chopped nuts and mix in well.

·         Add the cooked and mashed potato and parsnip.

·         Add the breadcrumbs lemon zest and juice and thoroughly mix.

·         As the mixture cools down a bit add the salt and pepper, herbs and chopped parsley and the beaten egg.

·         Mix well then add a little stock to the mixture to ensure it is binding together.

·         Put the mixture into a well greased and lined loaf tin [900gm /2lb size]

·         Bake  in oven 180ºC, Mark 5 gas for approximately 1 hour or until brown on top – take care to not burn the top.

·         Turn out. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. Serve with apple or cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly, gravy made form vegetable stock and roast root vegetables and potatoes.

 While I have been known to buy goose fat to make ‘excellent’ roast potatoes and I have even tried Nigella’s semolina coated roast potatoes, I am conscious of the high ‘animal fat’ content of these recipes and I’ve found my own almost as good – with all the other flavours around in Christmas dinner I believe it is the texture which is paramount:

Roast potatoes

Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized pieces. Par-boil in salted water until the outsides of the potatoes are starting to soften. Drain the potatoes and put them into a colander or large sieve and shake them around to ‘roughen’ the outsides. Put into a roasting pan where oil [ my choice is rapeseed oil – I have used olive oil successfully but olive oil has a much lower ‘smoke point’ and this can impart a burnt flavour has been pre-heated to sizzling hot in a hot oven. Coat the potatoes in the oil and return the pan to the oven.  Turn the potatoes occasionally to ensure they are brown and crisp on all sides.

I do like some mash potatoes with Christmas dinner as well as roast but, as a more flavoursome version try this Mustard Mash:

Mustard Mash Potatoes

1 kg [2lb] potatoes – floury potatoes are best

3 good sized tsp whole grain mustard

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

75gm [3oz] grated cheddar cheese

50 gm [2oz] butter

250ml [ ½pt] milk

Method

·         Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into even sized pieces. If you are using floury potatoes, it is best to steam them or they will break apart. Cook until the potatoes are soft all the way through.

·         Mash or put through a potato ricer.

·         While still hot, add the cheese and butter and mix in until well melted.

·         Add the milk, mustard and seasoning and stir in well. Reheat over a low flame to ensure the potato is hot without overcooking the cheese.

·         Serve with a topping of finely chopped parsley.

I think roast parsnips are also an excellent addition to any roast but, they don’t take as long to cook as roast potatoes so add them to the roasting pan a little later, although they do respond well to the same parboiling and ‘roughing’ the outsides as the potatoes. However, my favourite parsnip recipe:

Parsnip Croquettes ( recipe from ‘Gourmet Britain’) - this is a wonderful for all roasted meat dishes. While this is not my recipe it is exactly as I would have made these croquettes when I was at college. Totally delicious!

·         900g/2 lbs Parsnips, peeled and with any hard core removed - cut into pieces

·         225g/8 oz Potato (floury-type), peeled and cut into pieces the same side as the parsnips

·         1 teaspoon (5ml) Salt

• 60g/2 oz Butter
• plenty of freshly-ground Black Pepper
• 1 scant teaspoon (3ml) freshly-grated Nutmeg
• Dried Breadcrumbs
• 2 Eggs, beaten with a little salt
• Oil for deep frying or oil and butter

Method:

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the parsnip and potato pieces.
2. Simmer them for about 20 minutes or until they're tender.
3. Drain the vegetables and pass through a mouli-légume - or mash carefully to remove all lumps.
4. Mix in the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. Allow to cool until they"re cool enough to handle then shape them into croquettes a little bigger than a cork.
6. Dip each in the egg wash, then roll them in the breadcrumbs until they are fully covered.
7. Deep-fry at 200°C/400°F until they're golden brown or shallow fry in a mixture of oil and butter.

Squashes and pumpkins have been brilliant this season. I have had over 80 to use or give away [although many of these have been the small ‘hand-full’ varieties like Baby Bear. I still have, after inundating friends and family about 40 to use before they start to go off in the spring [I think a few more recipes for using them would be a good idea! But for Christmas Dinner try this:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Roasted Potatoes

1 – 2 medium onions - red onions for preference – peeled and cut into chunks

½ kilo suitable roasting potatoes – washed, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 medium butternut squash – sliced, peeled and deseeded then cut into chunks

1 garlic bulb – separate the cloves and skin them

A good dollop of top quality olive oil

A good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Some sprigs of rosemary

Method

·         Prepare the vegetables.

·         Heat the oil in a roasting pan until hot - 200ºC, No 6 gas

·         Toss the prepared squash, onions and potatoes in the hot oil.

·         Add the seasoning, herbs and garlic and return to the oven.

·         Cook for a further 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are golden brown and crunchy ( this will depend on the size you have cut them.

·         Serve immediately with any roast meat or with a nut roast.

Note – an excellent choice for Christmas dinner

Roasted Baby Pumpkins

Allow 1 small pumpkin per person

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 plump garlic clove per pumpkin [more if liked] – peeled and crushed or chopped

1 small sprig or a few leaves of rosemary for each half pumpkin

Olive oil

Method

·         Remove the stalk and wash the outside of the pumpkin carefully.

·         Slice the pumpkin in half through the middle, horizontally and scoop out the seeds.

·         Place the half pumpkins on an oven-proof tray or dish. Add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper and a small sprig of rosemary and a spray or a teaspoonful of olive oil.

·         Bake in a moderate oven No5 Gas or 180ºC for approx 30 – 40 minutes. Check with a skewer that the flesh of the pumpkin is properly cooked.

·         Serve immediately.

An Alternative Sweet Mincemeat

Of course you can also add sultanas and raisins to this recipe but, one member of my family does not like those fruits. I have found that she really likes this alternative.

Ingredients

100gms [4oz] chopped dried apricots

100gms [4oz] chopped dates

100gms [4oz] chopped crystallised or glace ginger

100gms [4oz] chopped pistachio nuts
100gms [4oz] chopped glace cherries

2 apples [eating or cooking] – washed and grated off the core

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

50gm soft brown sugar

2 - 3 Tblsp sherry, cointreau or cognac [optional]

Spices can be added or left out, as you wish - ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves.

Method

·         Combine the ingredients in a bowl adding more sherry/cognac/etc if you wish for a more alcohol flavoured mincemeat [the alcohol will dissipate as the mince pies are cooked].

·         This mixture will store successfully in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

·         Use as for commercial sweet mince.