Yet another Halloween has come and gone. Our plump little pumpkins have fulfilled their seasonal purpose of sitting around happily on the front porch or windowsill, lending an air of festivity to the environs. How shall we thank them for their efforts? Really, I can think of no better way than to take them into the kitchen and stick a knife in them.
Well, into the uncarved, intact ones at least. I wouldn't trust a pumpkin that has been hanging out, artistically disemboweled, for weeks on end. Luckily, pumpkins are available for cheap after Halloween, and some of us already have them but just plain never had the time to carve it. (Cough, midterms, cough.) As you will see, pumpkins are versatile, delicious, and surprisingly easy to cook. Different cultures around the globe use them in widely different ways: stews, stir-fries, porridges, casseroles, pudding, curries, and, of course, pies.
Closely related to the zucchini, pumpkins contribute a generous dose of lutein, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene, which get converted to Vitamin A by our metabolism. (These compounds are also found in the decidedly orange carrot.) Of course, while there isn't much scientific truth to the claim that beta-carotene can help you see in the dark (according to snopes.com, this was actually a myth perpetuated by the British during WWII to hide the real reason for their sudden increase in successful night missions: new and better technology), you can always make a Jack-o-Lantern with your pumpkin.
(By the way, Boston currently has the enviable bragging rights to the world record for most pumpkins simultaneously lit in one area.)
Today's featured recipe is a homey stew which, despite the murderous overtones of the first paragraph, is entirely vegetarian. But before we can cook with a pumpkin, we must separate the edible bits from the inedible bits.
This is a bit more difficult than wrestling a zucchini into submission, but it is not an insurmountable feat. I recommend a pumpkin of a size that you can handle (i.e. not a blue-ribbon giant, unless you have a chainsaw handy). That said, here is a simple step by step guide to showing this roly-poly orange vegetable who's boss:
How to tame your pumpkin
1) Use a sharp knife and cut off the woody tough stem around the base. Stick the knife in at an angle around the stem and slice a circle all the way around it, leaving a hole at the top. Discard stem.
2) Set the pumpkin steady and cut it in half in any direction.
3) Take a metal spoon and scrape out the stringy pulp. You can squeeze the seeds out of the pulp later to use for roasting.
4) Now cut the halves lengthwise into sections. (At this point, they will look suspiciously like cantaloupe slices. Do not be fooled.)
5) Take one section, set it on its side, and start slicing away the peel a bit at a time with firm downward strokes of the knife. (See picture.) Do not try to slice a whole vertical column of peel at once; the curve of the pumpkin won't allow this. Start at the middle, slice off half of the peel, flip it over on its other side, and slice off the other half. The picture will un-confuse you. Repeat this step with all the sections.
6) Now you can chop the pumpkins into whatever shape you want. For stew, you want roughly 1-inch chunks. (Note: For pur?©e, which is used in the famous pumpkin pie, skip steps 4 and 5. Instead, roast the pumpkin halves until tender, scrape out the flesh, and subject them to a blender.)
And now, we cook with it.
Curried Pumpkin Stew
Ingredients:2 lbs. pumpkin chunks (about 1 medium pumpkin)1 small onion1 can pumpkin pur?©e1 can vegetable broth2 tablespoons curry powder1 clove garlic1 bay leaf (optional)1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon pepper1/2 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons sugar (less if using a sugar pumpkin)1 tablespoon oil
Directions:
1) Chop onion into inch-long sections and mince the garlic.
2) Find the largest pot you can, put it on the stove, set heat to high, and heat some oil.
3) When oil is hot, saut?© onion, garlic, and curry powder until onion is translucent.
4) Put everything else in the pot. Yes, all of it. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Allow the soup to simmer until pumpkin chunks are tender.
5) As a final optional step, adjust seasoning (curry, pepper, sugar, and salt) to your liking. Serve with a roll and a cup of hot apple cider. Enjoy!
