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Pumpkin gallore!

Just in time for Halloween, the shops are flooded with pumpkins. Halloween is a celtic festival, you know, and it is the Irish who brought the art of pumpkin carving to America. But apart from carving, you can always eat the things.

Pumpkin facts

  • Pumpkins have been grown in America for over 5,000 years.
  • Rich in vitamin A and highly nutritious, they are a welcome addition to the diet at a time when the fresh produce of summer is but a memory.
  • Pumpkins are fruits — the largest in the world. At over 500 kg they are even bigger than jackfruits!
  • Pumpkins are a variety of squash, related to cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

I have always wondered — how do they peel pumpkin seeds without breaking them? For techno-heads, here is a glimpse of the complex machinery required. However, a hull-less variety of pumpkin is on the horizon! The seeds are delicious, by the way, if they are simply roasted, coated with lots of salt. You then nibble them open with your teeth — very soothing while revising for exams.

Mainly used in baking and for pies, pureés or soups, pumpkin is very versatile — equally popular as a sweet or a savoury. I even remember it pickled from my childhood, but it is particularly good in rich, succulent stews such as:

Braised Pork & PumpkinAn old ‘Tiger Lily’ favourite. Thisdish is prepared in a wok, but for larger quantities, fry off the meat in batches and simply cook in a large casserole in the oven.

2tbsp rice wine/sherry; 4tbsp dark soy sauce; one pinch each ground ginger & cinnamon; 350g belly pork; 1tbsp oil; 450g pumpkin; 250ml chicken stock; 1 small chilli

Cut pork into 1cm cubes and marinate in half the rice wine/sherry and soy sauce for 2h or o/n.
Cut pumpkin into 2 cm chunks.
Stir-fry pork over high heat 3 min, add pumpkin and chilli and fry another 2 min. Add remaining ingredients and the reserved marinade and simmer 20 min-½ h until tender but the pumpkin still holds its shape.
— Serve with plain rice and steamed pak choi.

or

Pumpkin stewCooked and served in the pumpkin, this is a dramatic dinner party piece — and almost completely hassel-free. I repeat the recipe here with alterations, as I made it for dinner the other night. Because pumpkins come in all sizes, it can feed from 2 to 10!

One pumpkin, ca. 1.7kg; 750g oxtail/shin of beef (not only cheaper, but the gelatinous rich meat complements the sweet pumpkin flesh. Hovever, if desired use ca. 450g braising steak and reduce cooking time by 1h); 1 small pepper; 1 onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp fresh thyme; pinch chilli flakes; 1 tsp freshly ground cumin; 1 bay leaf; 1 carrot; 1 small parsnip; 1 stick celery; 1 can tomatoes; dash Worcestershire sauce; ½ stockcube or good pinch salt

Roast or fry beef to seal and colour, set aside. Cut the roots into chunks, chop the onion and pepper and slice the celery. Soften the onion, add the pepper and fry another 3 min, add the garlic, herbs and spices and fry a final 2 min. Stir in the remaining ingredients and just enough water to cover. Simmer 2h (if fatty cuts are used, the stew can be chilled overnight and the fat skimmed off).

Cut a lid off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Pierce a few holes in the lid to let the steam escape and brush the outside with oil. Use a slotted spoon to pile the stew inside and fill with enough liquid to just come up to the rim. Replace the lid and bake at 180° C 1h.

— Serve with mashed potatoes and braised savoy cabbage tossed in cumin butter — or simply with fresh bread! The smell of roasting pumpkin, by the way, freakishly reminds me of the smell of palm oil in central Africa.

This dish would of course work equally well as a vegetarian stew.

I’m not one for sweets, but if you don’t fancy this as a main course, the same principle can be applied to dessert!

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