THE GREAT PUMPKIN

My boys' masterpieces, ready for Halloween!

In honor of Halloween, I present what may become a multi-volume series about how much I love pumpkin. I've been cooking with it all month - first buying one can of pumpkin, then two at a time, then four. Then one pumpkin at the farmer's market, then three at a time . . . I'm pretty much obsessed.

I've tried recipes for pumpkin bread, pumpkin hummus, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin-chili vichysoisse, pumpkin corn bread, pumpkin-feta risotto, cinnamon-pumpkin pull-aparts, and pumpkin scones. I have a couple more to try: pumpkin fondue (yes please!) and pumpkin curry soup, but I thought I'd better get this post done by Halloween or I've sort of missed the point.

Pumpkins are easy to use (see below) and ridiculously good for you. Super low in calories (good) with virtually no fat (even better!), they pack a huge vitamin A and C, E punch, as well as fiber, iron, magnesium, and potassium. They are good for your eyes and ward off cancer and yes, even heart disease. They can substitute for fat in baking, be sweetened and traditionally spiced, or used in savory or spicy dishes. Pumpkin is so mild and smooth it can adapt to many dishes or even disappear. I was trying to explain this to Scott, and I was reduced to just saying "pumpkin is kind of, well, magic." Charlie Brown was right.

Through exhaustive kitchen and family-testing, I've narrowed down the collection to six tasty, easy, and healthy recipes. (Owen has also learned to like pumpkin in the process. Noah, not so much.) I still have one pumpkin left to roast, so I might have a few more recipes for you before Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

RECIPE: PUMPKIN FETA RISOTTO
RECIPE: CINNAMON PUMPKIN BREAD WITH RUM GLAZE
RECIPE: PUMPKIN PANCAKES
RECIPE: PUMPKIN BREAD
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHILE VICHYSSOISE
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CORN BREAD

MAKING PUMPKINS EASY

After roasting

If you are new to pumpkin, here's how to make it easy. Just roast the whole thing first, let it cool enough to handle, and remove the skin, seeds, and pulp with any blunt instrument (it will just fall off!). Put all the pieces in your processor and voila, pumpkin puree.

Here's how to roast it: Poke a few vents into the pumpkin with a sharp knife (so it doesn't explode in your oven), put it in a shallow baking dish or pan, and cover the stem with tin foil (so it doesn't burn and stink up your kitchen). Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour for a small pumpkin, longer for larger pumpkins. Check for doneness by sticking a knife or fork into it - it should go right through with no resistance.

Puree being strained. This was a small
pumpkin, and yielded about 2 1/2 cups.

After you've peeled and de-pulped your pumpkin, whirl it in your food processor until it has reached your desired consistency. Drain in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter for about 30 minutes. (Pumpkins are mostly water, and you want to remove that extra moisture.) All done and ready to cook!

RECIPE: PUMPKIN FETA RISOTTO

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic

1 onion, diced

1 cup pumpkin puree

3 cups baby spinach leaves

3.5 ounce package crumbled feta cheese (I used – gasp – reduced fat!)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups Arborio rice

The risotto is mild and creamy, so I served with shrimp
sauteed with olive oil and lots of garlic and cayenne.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Cook onion and garlic until tender. Stir in rice, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and allowing all the liquid to be absorbed before adding more broth. Continue cooking until the rice is tender to the tooth, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the pumpkin and spinach into the risotto until spinach is wilted. Add feta and stir to just combine.

If using low-fat feta, this is just 3 grams of fat per serving, 2 saturated.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN CORN BREAD

I really love cornbread so these were a must-try. We all liked them, even Scott, who doesn't like corn bread. They were good with "butter" (aka Smart Balance), but just as good plain too. I served them with the Pumpkin Chile Vichysoisse.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)

1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil (next time I make these, I'm going to try applesauce instead)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, stir flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir just until blended; do not over mix. Divide batter among prepared muffin tin cups.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

One muffin has 119 calories, 4.7 grams of fat (only 0.3 of that saturated) and provides 2 grams of protein, 21% of your daily vitamin A, and 3.6% of your daily iron.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHILE VICHYSSOISE

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Serves 6

1 medium pumpkin – roasted and pureed

6 dried red chile peppers - washed, with stems and seeds removed

5 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon butter or margarine (guess what I used?)

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds leeks, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine the peppers and 2 cups of the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium-low heat; simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook the onions in the butter until they caramelize, about 45 minutes. Remove caramelized onions and cook the leeks in the pot for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the broth and pepper mixture, caramelized onions, 3 more cups chicken broth, bay leaf, and cumin to the leeks. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 10-20 minutes, or until the leeks are very soft. Remove the bay leaf.

Remove from heat, add the pumpkin and puree the soup until very smooth. Let cool slightly then add the buttermilk. Heat through and serve. May be served either hot or chilled.

One serving is just 66 calories! 1.7 grams total fat, only 0.5 of that saturated. It provides 3 grams of protein, 17% of your Vitamin A, 10% of your vitamin C, and 5% of iron.