In our house, we LOVE Halloween, with all the costumes, candy, and spooky-tinged excitement. It’s fun to chauffeur the kids around the neighborhood on the Big Night and check out what the neighbors have up their sleeves this year. It’s also fun watching our boys get into their “roles” on the one night of magic when a plastic light saber can become the real thing, when the preschooler in the horse costume becomes an honest-to-goodness mustang. In our modern world, often so insular, I’m glad that we have this one annual night of community fun to enjoy.
One of my favorite parts of Halloween – and fall in general - is the abundance of pumpkins. In our town we have a Pumpkin Stroll in the park each year, where families can wander around as darkness falls, checking out pumpkins that have been painted, or carved and lit up with candles.
Pumpkins are fun for the whole family; for carving, younger siblings can give input about the design, while older siblings or parents actually wield the knife. Roasted pumpkin seeds, one of the best fall treats, can also be a whole family activity; digging around inside the pumpkin to retrieve these tasty treats is an exciting sensory experience for non-squeamish kids, and then everyone gets to eat the seeds (see my recipe below.)
One important note: except for seeds, the big, Jack O’Lantern variety isn’t edible. For tasty eats, you need sugar pumpkins, usually smaller and similar in taste to winter squash (technically, pumpkin is a variety of winter squash.) Here is my favorite way to prepare sugar pumpkins: Slice off the stem, cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out the seeds and gucky stuff, scraping the inside till it’s nice and clean. Place the halves cut-side up on a cookie sheet coated with oil or cooking spray. Bake the pumpkin halves in the oven until a fork easily pierces the flesh, somewhere between ½ -1 hour in a 400-degree oven, or more for thicker pumpkins. Like squash, pumpkins can be peeled, chopped into chunks and boiled, but roasting brings out the richest flavor.
I used to think of pumpkins as a once-a-year treat, but now I know better: pumpkins are great for fall and winter, and even into the warmer seasons if you can keep them around that long! Pumpkins are extremely versatile, delicious in both savory and sweet dishes, and great for storing whole in an unheated garage, or pureed in the freezer. While they’re readily available, take some time to get to know pumpkins, for taste as well as appearance. They’re a must-have, nutritious treat!
Next month: Brunch, A Family-Friendly Weekend/Holiday Meal
Pumpkin Menu for Fall, Winter and Spring
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
There is no better aroma while pumpkin carving than that of roasting pumpkin seeds – eaten hot out of the oven, they are the perfect antidote to raw fall weather. Here is my fairly informal recipe:
Take the seeds from one pumpkin, separate them from the “icky” stuff, and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet coated with oil or cooking spray. Sprinkle seeds with ¼- ½ tsp salt; roast in a 350-degree oven for 35-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Coating the seeds with cooking spray or drizzling 1 tsp oil on them towards the end of the cooking time will help crisp the seeds up nicely.
Roasted Sugar Pumpkins with Butter and Brown Sugar; 4 servings
2 small sugar pumpkins, halved and cleaned of seeds and “ick”
4 tsp butter
4 tsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees; coat cookie sheet with oil or cooking spray.
2) Place pumpkin halves, cut side up, on cookie sheet; bake 30 minutes-1 hour or until they are easily pierced with a fork.
3) Place 1 tsp each butter and brown sugar into each half, spreading to coat as much of the inside as possible. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper to taste.
4) Bake 5 minutes more, to crystallize the sugar. Serve immediately.
Pizza with Pumpkin, Leeks and Goat Cheese; 4 servings
This pizza may sound odd, but it hits the spot on a cool night!
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, washed and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Crust for a 16” pizza (your own or store-bough pizza dough or focaccia bread will work)
½ cup pizza sauce
2 cups cooked, cubed pumpkin
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded romano cheese
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic and rosemary; cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until leeks are soft and slightly caramelized. Add in salt and pepper, set pan aside.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees; prepare pizza crust.
Spread sauce over crust; sprinkle on pumpkin, leek mixture, and goat cheese.
Bake pizza for 15 minutes, or until crust is baked and cheese is melted. Cut into 8 slices, enjoy!
Pumpkin Custard; 6 servings
As a kid, I always at the filling out of my Mom’s awesome pumpkin pie. This recipe is basically crustless pumpkin pie, baked in individual ramekins so everybody gets their own yummy serving. If you prefer, bake the custard in a small casserole dish, or even a 9’ pie plate.
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree (one can, while containing slightly less, will work also)
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice
1¼ cup light cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees; coat six 8-oz ramekins with cooking spray or melted butter.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, beat with a whisk or electric mixer until well-combined.
Pour into ramekins; place ramekins on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in oven, bake for 8 minutes at 425. Without opening oven, turn heat down to 350 degrees; bake 35 more minutes or until custard is set.
Serve warm or cold, topped with whipped cream if desired.
Karen Kolp is the author of “The Old-Fashioned Kitchen of the Future: Eat Well without Convenience Foods,” a cookbook-in-progress. She lives in Bellingham with her husband and their two young boys.
author: Karen Kolp