Allotments 4 All

I have been given a pumpkin and would like to make something with it. Don't want anything too complicated. Anyone got any decent recipes?

The easiest recipes would be soups.  Here's a basic recipe you can modify with spices such as cumin or chilli according to taste.  Adding a chopped apple at the end of stage 1 makes a good flavour addition too.:-

1.Heat  2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add 1kg peeled, deseeded and chopped pumpkin or squash to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
2.Pour 700ml vegetable stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour 140ml of double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.
3.While the soup is cooking, slice the crusts from 4 slices of wholemeal seed bread, then cut the bread into small croutons. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp. Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil, if you want.

You can also cut your peeled and deseeded pumpkin into chunks, place in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with s&p, chopped garlic, spices or herbs and roast till tender.

There are lots of recipes on the BBC Good Food website including curries, tagines, bakes, pies, risottos and so on all based on pumpkin.

My daughter uses coconut milk instead of the cream in pumpkin and I think it is lovely like that.

Because I like texture in blender soup, I like to add chopped raw leeks towards the end. I have just made a soup to finish up the contents of another daughter's children's three pumpkin lanterns, and used it as a dustbin for odds and ends, eg the last of the cauliflower, some cooked swede, parsnip and mashed potato from last night - very useful.

If you want easy, i'd suggest you roast it first- makes it much easier to peel. Here's one of many roast pumpkin soup recipes available online
http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/roast-pumpkin-soup/

I like it chopped into cubes and then gently fried in oil and butter until brown.  Perhaps a sprinkle of mixed herbs.  Delicious.

I really appreciate your replies. I am going to have some as soup and some roasted in the oven. mmmm

In Australia it is frequently eaten just steamed then mashed with a little butter or cream, salt and pepper, just like mashed potatoes. We also use plain mashed in many cakes and scones.

Pumpkin pie, I have two recipes on the forum here that are excellent, one for a ginger crust one covered with whipped creal and a more traditional baked one..don't know how to do the link though XX Jeannine

Jeannine, hope you don't mind my edit.  Here is the link: http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,62297.msg636878.html#msg636878

Ah, I forgot: I tried pumpkin pancakes recently and they were easy and excellent:

http://healthyrecipesblogs.com/2012/10/20/savory-pumpkin-pancakes/

You can make a sweet version too, but I am not into sweet things. I served them warm topped with cream cheese laced with chopped raw leeks, along with soup, and they were brilliant.

I'm just quoting from the store of recipes I have tried and tested for my blog. Here they are:

BRAISED PUMPKIN      
250ml coarsely grated pumpkin, 1 chopped onion, 1tbsp soy, (1tbsp apple juice), 120ml water/stock, pepper, (salt).
Put liquid, soy, juice, onions, pumpkin in pan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat. Simmer for 10-12 mins, season.

PUMPKIN SOUP serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter.   
1 pumpkin weighing about 2kg, 1 onion, finely diced, 60g butter, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 3 blades of mace (or pinch nutmeg), 1‐2 tsp sea salt, pepper, 900ml stock, (leftover greens like kale stalks, leek greens etc., cut very finely), 1‐2 tbsp sherry.
Deseed and chop pumpkin into 1cm thick shards. Melt butter, add onion, pumpkin and spices, cover. Sweat with onions and greens for 20-30 mins ‐ add stock if it gets too dry. Once tender, tip in stock; simmer a moment, puree, season. Add sherry before serving.

BROCCOLI-PUMPKIN STIR-FRY
400g pumpkin, 500g (purple-sprouting) broccoli, bacon, butter, coriander seeds.
Dry-roast coriander, grind. Cook pumpkin and broccoli in a little water for 7 mins, drain. Heat butter, add bacon and fry slowly for a few mins, then add veg and ground coriander. Fry till done, season.

PUMPKIN SOUP   
200g peeled and deseeded pumpkin, 1 onion, 1-2 garlic cloves, celery leaves, coriander leaves or seeds, 1.2l water/stock, butter, seasoning.
Cube pumpkin, saute with crushed coriander seeds, chopped onion and garlic in butter for a few mins. Add liquid and chopped celery leaves (or some chopped celery, or -seeds), cook till the pumpkin is soft. Squash or puree, maybe add some water if it's got too thick, season.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND MUSHROOMS   
4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp thyme, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 500g squash, 2 lbs or less mushrooms.
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Combine oil, salt, pepper, thyme in bowl. Cut squash into 1/2 inch slices, scoop out seeds. Cut. Place half the thyme oil in an ovenproof dish, add squash. Mix mushrooms with remaining thyme oil, put in another dish. Place both in oven, roast for 25 mins or until squash is tender and mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir mushrooms occasionally, and put in bottom oven if done before squash. Place squash pieces on plates, and top with mushrooms.

SPICED BEET-PUMPKIN SOUP
3 beet, 1/4 pumpkin/squash, 2 carrots, yoghurt (or cream and lemon juice), 2 garlic cloves, ginger, oil, butter, seasoning. Spices such as mustard, cumin, fennel and/or coriander seeds.
Chop veg, garlic and a small thingy of ginger. Heat oil/butter and fry garlic and ginger for 1/2 minute. Add spices and cook for a minute longer to release their flavour. Add veg and saute gently for a some more mins, stirring regularly. Add enough liquid to cover them, bring to the boil and simmer till soft. Blend, check seasoning. You may need to add more liquid. Serve with double cream and lemon juice, or a spoonful of yoghurt.

FRIED SQUASH
ab. 650g chopped squash, 3 chopped slices of bacon, 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper.
Saute bacon until crisp, remove from pan. Leave drippings in pan. Add squash, sprinkle on pepper, saute until soft and turning brown around the edges. Before serving, add bacon again.

FRIED SQUASH
340g squash, 1 onion, sage, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp butter.
Cut squash into 1cm slices, then bite-size cubes. Roughly chop onion. Heat butter and oil: add squash, onion and sauté 10-15 mins, until squash is browned. Sprinkle with sage, paprika, sauté 5 more mins.

Now you have to buy some more! They are very good for you as well.
Love, Annemieke.